Renaissance
by DesireeStorms
Summary: Eric's execution is stopped at the last second by a strange woman named Rain. His life is flipped upside-down when he is thrown into a world arguably harsher than a Dauntless prison. Rain knows he will not be an easy one to control. He is determined to defy her, still loyal to Jeanine Matthews plan, but Rain has her own plans for him. Can she help him, or is it a lost cause?
1. Rain

**FULL SUMMARY: Eric's execution is stopped at the last second by a strange woman named Rain. When he realizes who she is, he instantly pairs them as enemies. His life is flipped upside-down when he is tossed into Renaissance headquarters, which is a world arguably harsher than a Dauntless prison to those who do not know their place. However, punishment isn't his only purpose here, despite his own belief. Rain knows he will not be an easy one to control. He is determined to defy her and everyone else at Renaissance, still loyal to Erudite and Dauntless traitors, but Rain has her own plans for him. Can she help him, or is it a lost cause?**

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><p><strong>Chapter #1: Rain<strong>

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><p>Eric Grayson. Dauntless leader. Erudite conspirator.<p>

She watched from a distance as he was forced down into the interrogation chair by two other Dauntless, where he sat back in an insultingly relaxed manner. Eric Grayson. She had heard quite a lot about him over the past few weeks, and to say he sparked her interest would have been a dry understatement.

He had been described as the worst of the worst: guiltless murderer—conspirator—eyes of steel ice—child killer—merciless. Yet as she looked him over for herself, he was nothing like the images her mind had depicted. His features were smooth and unscarred, unlike many of the criminals she had encountered in the past. The only marks she could see were the bold tattoos going down his neck and forearms, and the horizontal piercing above his right eyebrow. His eyes were vibrant and alert, grey-blue in color and strangely youthful despite the arctic chill they emitted as they glanced around the room.

Dauntless crowded the room, surrounding him in a black-clad mass that would have appeared menacing to most others, like a horde of ravens awaiting their prey. Yet his eyes remained unperturbedly set straight forward, not a single trace of unease about him. Many probably assumed he was just a cold robot, or perhaps insane, but she knew better. She had dealt with enough of his kind to know. They were all scared. Every single one of them. They all thought they were the baddest of the bad. Deep down, she knew that if she pushed him far enough he would break into a million pieces. Anyone would, herself included. This man was no different.

"Would you like me to tell you your crimes?"

Her eyes shifted to the woman that had spoke. She was of Asian descent, her dark eyes cold and appearing rather unconcerned for the man seated in the chair. Rain recognized her as one of the new Dauntless leaders, Tori. "Or would you like to list them yourself?"

She watched as Eric lifted his head, his slate blue eyes scanning the crowd slowly. She followed his gaze as it set solidly on a young girl, probably not a day over seventeen, her large doe eyes staring back at him. The smallest of smirks tugged at the corners of his mouth.

"I want the stiff to list them," he said at last, his voice calm.

"Leave her out of this," Four snapped, who had remained silent for the most part up until this point.

"Why?" Eric lifted his head to set him with an unruffled look. "Because you're doing her? Oh, wait. I forgot. Stiffs don't do that sort of thing. They just tie each other's shoes and cut each other's hair."

Rain eyes shifted back to Four in interest, curious to see how the stony-faced Dauntless would react to his enemy's boorish words. His expression didn't change, but only a fool wouldn't be able to sense the anger slowly drawing to a boiling point behind the vacant mask. Eric smirked at his rival's silent frustration.

"I want her to list them," he repeated.

The girl stepped forward without hesitation, large, warm hazel eyes uncharacteristically cold. "You conspired with Erudite. You are responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Abnegation. You betrayed Dauntless. You shot a child in the head. You are a ridiculous plaything of Jeanine Matthews." Her voice was cold—unwavering.

Rain's lips pulled into a small frown as she listened to the list, and briefly her green eyes shifted back towards Eric. The smug smirk playing his lips had faltered slightly when the girl had dubbed him Jeanine Matthews toy, a rather appropriate and grimly humorous side comment, in her opinion.

"Do I deserve to die?" he asked.

Four went to answer, but the girl beat him to it.

"Yes," she replied coldly and without pause.

"Fair enough," he said. "But do you have the right to decide that, Beatrice Prior?"

Rain paused. Beatrice Prior? Her eyes shifted back over to the blonde-haired girl curiously. So, this was the infamous Tris she had been hearing about. It made sense, now that she thought back on Four's relatively protective behavior when he had seen Eric was targeting her.

Eric continued, "Like you decided the fate of that other boy—what was his name? Will?"

Tris visibly tensed at her friend's name, and Eric's smirk was revived. Rain's eyes narrowed the slightest bit. Fearless and malicious. The type she most enjoyed toying with.

Four spoke up then. "You have committed every crime that warrants execution among the Dauntless," he said unfeelingly. "We have the right to execute you, under the laws of Dauntless."

Rain's stare shifted to Four's feet, where he was unloading three guns of their bullets. Putting one bullet in a gun, he shuffled them, and when she glanced back towards Eric's face she saw he was watching Four intently. One gun goes to Tori, and the other to Harrison, another Dauntless leader.

"Wait," he said suddenly. "I have a request."

"We don't take orders from criminals," said Tori. She sounded nothing short of tired and, for lack of better term, bored. It was clear she could have cared less about the situation at hand. If anything, she was eager to get it overwith.

"I am a leader of Dauntless, and all I want is for Four to be the one who fires that bullet."

"Why?" Four demanded.

"So you can live with the guilt of knowing you usurped me and then shot me in the head," he said simply.

Four gave him a look of indistinct, contemptuous amusement. "There won't be any guilt."

Eric remained unmoved, eyes focused intently on his enemy. "Then you won't have a problem doing it."

Four loaded one of the bullets into the first chamber of his gun.

"Tell me," said Eric quietly. "Because I've always wondered. Is it your daddy who shows up in every fear landscape you've ever gone through?"

Rain's eyes narrowed. At that comment, her decision was made.

Four didn't answer.

"You don't like that question?" Eric asked smoothly. "What, afraid the Dauntless are going to change their minds about you? Realize that even though you've only got four fears, you're still a coward?" He straightened in his chair then, arms resting on the armrest in a calm fashion that was almost mocking. He was welcoming death, eyes cold as ever—unflinching—unafraid.

Four held the gun up to his head, and Eric's eyes glanced to the barrel fleetingly before returning his eyes back to Four. That. That right there was what she had been waiting for. That single, yet incredibly subtle, gesture—unbeknownst to Eric—was the one thing that spared him a bullet between the eyes.

"Stop." The command was quiet and firm, but amongst the deathly silence wavering throughout the room it sounded deafening.

Four's head lifted sharply, finger still pressed against the trigger, as his eyes searched the crowd for the intrusive voice. A millisecond later, and it would have been over. His eyes landed on her as she stepped forth, and the second he saw her, a glimmer of recognition appeared in his dark brown eyes. His face said it all. Looking down, his face twitched in a stiff-jawed grimace.

"Shit."

Tris, on the other hand, looked completely confused, as she split from the crowd herself to join Four's side. "Who is she?"

Four glanced at her. "Long story," was his muttered reply.

Rain ignored the eyes staring her down as she came to a stop a short ten feet from where Four stood with his finger still pressed against the gun's trigger. "Hello, Four," she said smoothly. "It's been awhile."

"Not this one, Rain." His eyes were drilling holes through hers. "You don't want him. Believe me."

A small smile tugged at her lips, and she glanced down to Eric, who had remained silent, his eyes having snapped to her the second she had spoken up. He was staring up at her, cold exterior having allowed the smallest traces of curiosity to surface on his features. He had not shown a single trace of fear even as Four's finger had been pulling back against the trigger. Tris, on the other hand, still appeared completely lost, large, chocolate brown eyes shifting between the three of them in poorly concealed confusion, and no less suspicion.

"Who are you?"

Rain lifted her eyes to her. "Rain. You must be Tris."

She nodded faintly.

"I'm the leader of Renaissance."

Her eyes widened. "Renaissance?" She looked to Four. "The sixth faction?"

"If you want to call it a faction," Eric muttered. "It's more like a prison. A home for strays and factionless rejects."

His comment went ignored by everyone but Rain.

"A prison?" she said, regaining their attentions. "Hardly. No one is kept behind bars. That kind of safety isn't provided in Renaissance."

Tris stared at her, but before she could question the woman any further, Tori had stepped forward.

"Why do you want him?" she demanded.

Her eyes shifted to her. "What, you don't think it would be fun to see how he does?"

The woman stared at her.

"He'd be the pitbull amongst a horde of hellhounds."

Eric looked up at her, frowning the slightest bit. What the hell did that mean? Then at last, she looked down to him, her eyes cool as she met his directly. They held gazes only briefly before she redirected her stare back to Four, her voice calm as the morning tide.

"Let him up."

Gun lifting from his head, Eric felt Four grip the back of his collar, and the moment he was on his feet he was roughly shoved forward towards Rain. He stood in the center of the room, shoulders back and head held high in blatant defiance as he stared at her with cold, unimpressed eyes—as if she were an insignificant insect crawling at his feet. He didn't know much about Renaissance. They kept to themselves, separated from other factions, but he knew that they were respected. He never understood it. They were an unofficial faction, in his opinion, because they didn't accept dependants like other factions did. They did not have a spot during the choosing ceremony. They were strays—a home for rebels and factionless. How they went about choosing new initiates, he was never clear on. Renaissance were vultures, circling and patrolling the streets in search for new additions. He liked to think of them as talent scouts for the homeless.

What was she doing here?

"Eric Grayson. We meet at last."

The cold shell cracked for a split second. How did she know his last name? His teeth gritted in annoyance. He _hated_ that name. He'd gotten rid of it a long time ago, and he had done so for a reason.

Tris looked to Four in question, and when he spoke his voice was low so only she could hear. "A lot of people change or abandon their names when they join Dauntless. All for different reasons."

Rain approached him coolly, green eyes scanning him with minimal discretion, as her hands clasped in a relaxed manner behind her back.

"I know all about you. The question is… should I spare your worthless carcass or let them shoot you?"

He said nothing, eyes directed straight forward in unyielding insubordination. He did not have to answer to this woman. If it hadn't been for the fact he'd be shot dead before reaching her, he would have made an effort to snap her pretty little neck.

"Oh, come now, Grayson. Aren't we a bit old for the silent treatment?"

A few snickers hummed throughout the area, and his jaw tensed in anger. She was openly mocking him in front of Dauntless. Stiffly, his slate blue eyes shifted to meet hers, making his thoughts of her clear with a single glance.

"Call me by that name again, and we'll see if they can shoot me before I break your neck."

She did not flinch away, nor did her eyes avert his, appearing completely unfazed by the threat. What she did do caused his blood to boil and threaten to blister through his skin.

She _smiled_ at him. It a mere faint tug at the lips, one of those condescending smirks that plainly said: _Yes, I'm scorning you. Do something about it._

"Those won't be necessary," she said suddenly, motioning to his bound wrists.

Flipping out his knife, Four wordlessly walked up behind Eric, who glanced back at him fleetingly before setting the woman before him with a narrow-eyed glare. He felt the binds constricting his wrists give, and Four stiffly returned to his spot beside Tris.

She was daring him. She was daring him to make an attempt at attacking her. The opportunity to slap this smug bitch was appealing, but he stood his ground and kept calm despite the frothing rage silently bubbling within his core. He was no fool. If he attacked her, he would be gunned down instantly. It wasn't being shot that was holding him back, however.

"No one raise their guns to him," she said composedly.

Surprise flickered across his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by suspicion. She was openly giving him permission to attack. It was almost insulting, and it further ignited his anger. He was fully aware she was testing his ability to maintain control, and he wasn't about to give her the satisfaction of seeing him snap. So, he just stood there, eyes locked with hers in competitive defiance, and, to further flout her, he went as far as to clasp his hands in front of him in a casual manner, candidly mocking her posture. He could play this game, too.

Instead of faltering, however, her smile only grew at his prideful display, and she took a step towards him, where she proceeded to circle him slowly. He did not turn with her or follow her with his eyes, keeping a solid stare forward, body straight with rigid conceit. If she was trying to intimidate him, it would not work.

"Good posture, initiate," she commented offhandedly.

He paused suddenly. _Initiate_?

"Yes… I think so." Turning her head towards Four and Tris, she gave them a reassuring nod. "If you don't mind, I'll be taking him off your hands."

"You can't do this," objected Four.

"I'm sorry, but I can."

He glared at her.

"What are you going to do with him?" asked Tris.

Rain looked at her. "I'm going to see if he's capable of learning a few things. And if not…" Stopping at his side, she turned her head to look him straight in the eyes. "Well… he'll find out."

With that, two large men stepped forward wielding stun guns, and before Eric could so much as object he was being seized by the arms and hauled towards the exit. His first thoughts were to fight against them, the confusion and rage threatening to make him foam at the mouth, but he quickly composed himself. He wouldn't give them the pleasure of watching him struggle. He was alive… for now. If he played his cards right, he might be able to escape and make his way back to Erudite headquarters.

At the last minute, he turned his gaze over his shoulder to look back at Four and the stiff, only to be greeted by the satisfying, darkened glares they were drilling into his back.

They were fools for letting him walk out of there alive.


	2. Warm Welcome

**Chapter #2: Warm Welcome**

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><p>He sat on the bench in the back of an armored truck, swaying slightly as it made a turn down another road. He had taken notice that they hadn't bothered cuffing his wrists and feet like he had expected them to. Another dare, perhaps? Either way, the two armed guards sitting across from him were enough reason for any smart man to stay still, excellent fighter or not. He was trained to be smart and wait for the right opportunity. Patience was key if he was to get out of this clean.<p>

They had been driving for almost a half hour now. It wouldn't be long before they arrived at Renaissance. Never had he ever even considered the possibility that he would end up here. This wasn't where he belonged. He was Dauntless, not a stray dog in need of a home. What this woman had in store for him, he wasn't sure, but he looked highly forward to making her efforts futile.

His eyes shifted up to the two guards sitting across from him, only to see they were staring directly at him. The corner of his lips twitched upwards in a derisive smirk.

"Find something funny, asshole?"

"One thing, actually," he said calmly. "That woman claims she's your leader… yet she needs you two to watch her back."

They continued to stare at him for another moment before looking at each other, and then they were bursting out into dark laughter. Eric's smirk faltered.

"You think she brought us to protect her? No. She brought us to protect _you_."

To say he looked incredulous would have been an understatement, as a scathing laugh left his lips dripping with unimpressed amusement. "Okay."

Within the next five minutes, they had arrived at the front gates.

His feet made somewhat ungraceful contact with the ground as he was shoved from the back of the truck by one of the guards, and he had to catch himself to prevent from tripping as he lifted his head to gaze up at the fortress before him. Awaiting him behind the gates was a horde of Renaissance members, all sneering at him with a scornful glares and grins of unconcealed mockery. It looked like a straight prison yard, and he was the new meat, but he wasn't afraid. These people were dumb, cocky animals, and they didn't concern him in the slightest.

He glanced to his left as Rain approached his side. Clasping his arm, she proceeded to lead him forward as the gates opened. His eyes swerved up towards the barbed wire lining the fence, eyeing the armed guards standing at their perches as they glared down at him ominously—resembling much like black vultures observing their prey. The crowd split to allow them passage, as he walked alongside Rain with the guards flanking them on either side.

"_Check out the new meat!"_

"_Dauntless for dessert tonight!"_

Jeering laughter echoed throughout the crowd. A few spit spitefully at his feet as he passed, kicking dirt and rocks at his legs and feet.

"_Hey, Rain, who's pretty boy?"_

"_Hey, blue eyes. Wanna have some fun tonight?"_

Someone let out an indicative wolf whistle.

"_You won't make it, Blondie!"_

Eric ignored the uncouth remarks, keeping an impassive front as he continued on with his head held high. Morons. All of them. He was escorted inside, where they were met by four men built like professional linebackers, the bulges of their muscle swelling beneath the black clothing. The one standing in the front, he instantly identified as one of the leaders by his uniform. He was clad in all black: black pants tucked into combat boots, black shirt, and black jacket ornamented with various badges along the sleeves and chest. A scar stretched from his jaw up onto his head, causing a bald streak amongst the buzz cut. He guessed he was in his early to mid thirties, broad shoulders accompanied by an equally broad chest. He nearly dwarfed Eric, but it would take more than that to daunt him.

He stepped forward with a contemptuous smirk pulling at his face as he looked at Rain. "The second I heard where you went today, I figured you'd bring this one home."

"But look at him, Domino." Rain pulled Eric closer to her side for emphasis. "I couldn't resist."

Domino's eyes gave him a quick, condescending onceover. "He is pretty cute."

Eric gave him a nasty look.

Domino shook his head. "You make my job too easy."

Eric's eyes narrowed, but Rain just smiled. "Okay." Releasing his arm, she motioned for the larger man to proceed. "You know the drill. Get him settled. Bring him to me after." With that final word, she turned away, accompanied by the two guards from the truck.

Eric glanced after her before returning his narrowed gaze to Domino as he stepped forward, his hazel eyes locked with his in a condescending stare off. He held his gaze evenly, unimpressed by the bulkier man's intimidating facade.

"What are you lookin' at, you piece of shit?"

He was greeted by a rough shove that sent him stumbling forward, and his blood instantly rose to a boil. Briefly, his impassive exterior shattered to make way for homicidal rage, and he turned on them with deadly eyes.

"Don't. Push. Me."

To spite him, Domino gave his chest another hard shove, sending him stumbling back as a result. His back slammed back against the railing, nearly toppling backwards into the chasm below, but he managed to catch himself last second, hands gripping the metal bar.

"Do something about it, asshole," Domino sneered.

Before Eric could respond, he was being roughly spun around and shoved again by the head.

"Let's give this prick a nice, warm welcome, eh, gents?"

Dark laughter emitted from the three guards accompanying them, causing Eric's blood to simmer to a blistering peak. They continued to force him forward, keeping iron grips on his arms and kicking at the backs of his legs and ankles whenever he struggled against them, but he did not yield to their harsh handling. If they thought they could trounce him with a few kicks and shoves, they were sorely mistaken. By the time he was lead to a tiled room, his ankles were raw, and he was shoved inside as Domino walked in behind them, hands clasped leisurely behind his back.

"Take your clothes off," he ordered.

Eric turned his head to send him a glare. "No."

Domino shrugged. "Suit yourself. All right, strip 'im down."

Eric's eyes widened for a split second, as his head snapped sharply towards the other three men when he saw them closing in on him from the corner of his eye. He bristled, body winding up in preparation for combat as he fixed them with a look that promised death should they so much as lay a finger on him.

But they were ready for him. When he swung, two of them grabbed him by the arms while the third made a quick job of ripping his vest off him. His eyes were wide with rage as he fought against them in outrage. This, he would not stand for.

Domino stood off to the side with a bored expression as he watched the four men wrestle with each other in a chaotic turmoil of fists and thrashing limbs. One was holding his arms back as the other closed in, and Eric used the man holding him as a support as he kicked up with both legs at other. The guard's back collided hard with wall, earning a grunt from him as the third stepped in. He seized the belligerent Dauntless' legs, and Eric emitted a snarl of fury as he was subjugated.

Domino still stood off to the side, looking increasingly bored the longer it took for his men to subdue their new initiate. "For Christ's sake, throw 'im down if you have to."

Eric released a shout mixed with a growl as he was slammed down on his stomach, ribs making harsh contact with the hard tile floor. He roared beneath them, thrashing against their holds as he felt their intrusive hands rip his shirt from the back. The fabric was tugged roughly from his upper half, but when he felt them tugging at his pants he flew into a ferocious fit, and at that moment he looked more monster than man. A toxic combination of embarrassment and wrath seethed through his veins when he felt the air hit his bare form, but before he was able to so much as turn to face his assaulters he was thrown against the far wall. He managed to break the impact with his hands, and he whirled around, only to be greeted with an onslaught of freezing cold water jetting towards him.

His arms swiftly came up to shield himself. The water was like a thousand chilled bullets against his flesh, bombarding his naked form mercilessly as he shielded his face. Then suddenly, a shout escaped him as pain throbbed through his body when the stream hit his stab wound directly, his hand flying to protect it from further assault.

Domino leaned in to the man at his side, never taking his eyes off Eric. "Make a note of that."

Although it was under a minute, it felt like hours before the ice cold water finally ceased, and he was left shivering and burning with rage at the same time. He barely had time to step away from the wall before he was being seized yet again. His arms were held firmly by the guards as Domino stepped forward and knelt down near his right leg and grabbed him by the ankle. Eric's immediate reaction was to kick him in the face, but the Renaissance leader had been prepared for this.

Eric released a pained shout as his foot was blocked with a harsh twist, and the next thing he had known Domino had pulled out a stun gun and shot him in the opposite leg. The men holding him kept him up as his leg gave out, gritting his teeth against the burning pain shooting up his leg.

"Next one's in your balls, initiate," warned Domino. "You're gonna learn real quick defiance ain't the way to go around here."

Eric's mind was taken off the pain when he suddenly felt something cold and metal clasping around his ankle. Upon looking down, he came to realize a metal anklet had been secured around his ankle like a house arrest bracelet.

"If you so much as piss outside that fence, you'll wake up factionless and suffering nerve damage. The censor triggers the anklet to send currents of electricity over 10 mA through the body, paralyzing the muscles and leaving you a twitching, drooling heap on the floor. The same will happen if the anklet is removed by anything other than the key."

As he was speaking, Eric had fixed him with a glare that held enough venom to kill ten grown men, but it hardly fazed the Renaissance. With a single nod, the guards were releasing their holds, and Domino tossed a towel into Eric's face.

"Dry yourself off and put these on." He threw a stack of black clothes onto the only table in the room. "Two minutes. If you're not dressed, you go naked." With that, he turned and left, the three guards stationing themselves in front of the door.

For the first few seconds, Eric remained still, chest still heaving as he attempted to wrap his mind around what had just happened. Hot embarrassment threatened to show in his face as he tried to mask it with fury, but despite his thirst for Renaissance blood, he knew he would be forced to walk the halls naked should he refuse to put on the clothes offered to him. Even he wasn't that stubborn. He was outnumbered, for the moment.

They would all pay for his humiliation, starting with that female Renaissance bitch.

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><p>His head lifted at the sound of the door opening. He had just barely finished tucking the bottoms of the black cargo pants into his boots before they were grabbing him and shoving him from the room. He didn't make it ten steps before he felt his head being yanked back by his hair, followed by a sharp pain in his neck. He shook his head to throw them off and made to lash out, but he was subdued without much effort. His eyes widened a fraction when he saw an injector in one of the men's hands.<p>

"A spare tracker," said Domino.

"Do you think I'm an idiot?" Eric snarled in return.

"Absolutely."

If looks could kill...

"Ahh, you think it's the serum." Domino smirked. "Doesn't feel so good to be on the receiving end of paranoia, does it?"

Before Eric could respond, he was pushed forward yet again. He didn't fight against them as they reentered the halls, instead choosing to stand tall with his shoulders back, head held high with dignity. The other Renaissances' jeers and threats followed him all the way, until he was eventually led up a flight of stairs to an office.

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><p>Rain turned her head over her shoulder when she heard her office door open, two of the guards escorting a peeved-looking Eric by the arms. The moment he saw her, his eyes flashed with a hate so pure that it could have overwhelmed the fires of Hell. Eyes of ice that burned with fire.<p>

"You caught yourself a crazy one, here, Rain," said one of the men holding him. "Nothing but unrestrained wrath in this guy."

She approached them at a casual stride. "Hello, Eric."

He just glared at her silently.

"You're excused, gentlemen," she said.

They released their holds on his arms and made for the door without a word, leaving him alone with her. It would have been the perfect opportunity to lunge at her now that her friends were no longer present, and to say it wasn't almost irresistible would have been a lie, but he had questions, and if he wanted answers to those questions he had to be smart. After a moment of holding stares, she turned away from him and walked over to a cabinet.

"What's your poison?" she asked, pulling out two glasses.

He remained silent. She must be joking.

She glanced back at him transiently. "Very well." She poured two glasses of what he guessed was scotch and slid one across the desk towards him. He didn't even look at it. "I know you would very much like to kill me in the most creative of ways, so your lack of attack is telling me you want questions answered. So, let me explain." Walking back behind her desk, she sat down in her chair, pausing only briefly to motion to the chair beside him. "You may sit, if you like."

He didn't budge, nor did his expression, eyes cold and posture rigid.

She gave a nonchalant shrug. "Well, first off, my name is Rain, and as you know I'm first in command here. The man who gave you that pretty little anklet is Domino. He's my right hand and second in command. As you've probably learned already, his patience is not to be tested. In that way, you two will probably clash many more times in the near future."

"You think I'm going to just go along with this?"

Her eyes met his.

"I'm Dauntless, you stupid bitch." He spat out the last two words extra carefully, practically grinding them through his teeth. "And I don't follow orders from strays."

Rather than growing angered at his insubordination like Domino had, she remained calm, utterly unfazed in appearance. "As of today, _you_ are one of those _strays_, initiate."

"You think you can keep me here?"

"Oh, I see." A smile graced her lips. "You think Erudite or Dauntless traitors will come rescue you. Bail you out."

He was silent.

She leaned forward in her seat, folding her hands on the desk's polished surface. "Erudite isn't coming for you. Dauntless isn't coming for you. Not only do they have no authority here, they know how my men operate, and they know that we hate them for their betrayal. If _anyone_ crosses these gates in search for you, they better tuck tail or be shot point blank between the eyes."

He was staring at her, eyes narrowing ever so slightly, and she leaned back in her seat.

"Clinging to childish hopes of rescue will be your demise here. No one is coming for you. You're not worth the risk."

He narrowed his eyes at her.

"I'm going to make this as clear as I can," she continued. "As of right now, you are factionless. You belong nowhere, and no one is going to risk their necks for you. I didn't have to stop that execution. If you play your cards right, this place can become a second chance. If not, you're going to wish I had let them pull the trigger." Her eyes remained solidly locked with his. "As for calling me a bitch, I'm going to let that one slide… because that's exactly what I am. I'm not your friend, initiate. I'm not your angel of mercy. I'm the one that decides your fate. Nothing more and nothing less."

He held her stare coldly. If he felt anything towards her words, he didn't show it, slate blues vacant of all emotions aside from a frigid aversion. Satisfied she had gotten her point across for the moment, she stood.

"Follow me."

She passed him at a calm stride, but he didn't follow her right away, jaw grinding in irritation. Finally, however, he turned after her. He walked alongside her as she led him down the stairs and down the walkway.

"There are few rules in Renaissance. As long as you keep the bullshit to a minimum and know how to pick your fights, your chances of survival increase from a zero to about a two."

He rolled his eyes.

"No one is going to stop a fight from breaking out, so don't get caught in one if your chances of winning are dismal. However, be warned murder is firmly forbidden, as is foul play. No gouging eyes out, stabbing, et cetera unless strictly in self-defense. If your opponent taps out or is knocked out, you stop. Anyone who breaks these rules, and are caught, are out."

Eric quirked a sardonic eyebrow to himself. "It's that easy to get out of here, huh?"

She looked back at him. "If you make it out alive, sure."

He stared at her. She turned back forward. "If you're caught committing foul play, waking up in the infirmary is unlikely. It will more likely be the morgue."

His eyes had taken to scanning his surroundings as they walked. He blatantly ignored the sneers and condescending smirks sent his way, neither caring nor angered by their comments. They were a bunch of discards whose opinions of him mattered to him about as much as an irritating itch on the ass. It was then that, suddenly, a pair of youthful, wide eyes caught his stare, and he found himself pausing without realizing it. He blinked, squinting at the kid, and it hit him that he recognized him.

It was Edward.

He continued to stare openly as the kid conversed with a rather burly-looking man beside him, having not taken notice of him yet. The eye that had been stabbed with the knife was, to his incredulity, completely healed. The only remnants of the gory wound was the pinkish scar tissue that surrounded part of his eye and trailed down onto his cheek. He would have assumed the eye had been removed completely after the damage that had been done, but apparently that wasn't the case. He watched the man beside him pat him on the shoulder, and Edward turned down a different hallway. What the hell was he doing here?

Frowning, he looked down and over railing they were walking alongside. They were very high up. Luckily, heights never bothered him nearly as much as they had bothered Four. It was a small victory he had always enjoyed dangling over his head.

The interior of Renaissance looked much like Dauntless, walkways forming bridges across the spiraled ledges that made up the sidewalks along the walls of the chasm below. The only lighting was provided by the lights rigged along the walls and rare windows. He continued to follow her as she lead him out of the chasm and into a hallway, and before long they come to another bridge. There were considerably less people in this section of Renaissance, most of the action having centered towards the spiraling walkways in the chasm. Like Dauntless, Renaissance held multiple long drops, and he was currently standing over another. The bridge they were crossing had no rails. One wrong step, and one could easily fall to their death.

Peering down, the drop seemed endless. Pitch blackness swallowed its depths, giving the overly creative imagination many doors to sinister imagery. It was as they were crossing that Rain suddenly stopped, and he looked up at her as she turned to face him.

"There are eleven other trainees aside from yourself."

He looked back at her as she spoke. "_Trainees_? Cute."

"You think you know everything, don't you? Cute."

His eyes narrowed. "And what do you know, _woman_?"

"You think you're so brave?" She raised her eyebrows at him. "Prove it." She nodded down at the drop below. "Jump."

His response was a dry, unconvinced look. "You think I'm an idiot?"

"Are you afraid?"

The glare returned to his eyes at her words. "Watch yourself."

"Take your own advice before giving it, Anarchy."

Without warning, she suddenly shoved him. His eyes flew wide as he toppled over edge, arms flailing in an ungraceful display of surprise. His heart had skipped a beat when he felt himself falling, as the wind rushed passed him in rapid gusts. Quickly, he calmed himself and closed his eyes in preparation for impact. The next thing he knew, he was landing with a harsh splash in ice cold water. On reflex, he held his breath as the water swallowed him whole. After managing to recover from the shock, he straightened his body and began the swim upwards, and he broke the surface to take in a sharp breath of air. Coughing, he shook his head and looked around, only to be greeted with pitch blackness as the livid rage returned to simmer in his gut. He was going to fucking kill that bitch.

He couldn't see a goddamned thing. Then suddenly, a blinding light illuminated the spot he was treading, shining in his face. He squinted against it, arm lifting to shield his eyes as his pupils shrunk painfully. Once his eyes adjusted to the light, he was greeted with the sight of Domino standing on the walkway, a patronizing smirk plastered over his face.

"Guess you didn't need that bath after all, initiate." He laughed heartily, the sound bouncing off the walls of the chasm and echoing through the air.

Eric scowled at him murderously.

"You shouldn't have talked back to her."

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><p>He had begrudgingly followed Domino to a room that resembled the initiate quarters back at Dauntless. The second he had entered, eleven other heads lifted when Domino whistled to gain their attentions.<p>

"Listen up! We got one more addition. Everybody give Eric a warm and friendly welcome. For those of you who don't know who he is, he's the scumbag that led an army of Dauntless under simulation into Abnegation."

They all exchanged looks, as mutters broke out amongst the room. Eric watched each of them carefully. Some were glaring directly at him. Many of them looked as if they'd came straight from a high security prison, an array of tattoos, piercings, and scars covering their bodies like a macabre mosaic. There were three men, the largest, who had harsh facial features, likely roughened from years of a harsh life on the streets and prisons. There were a few cleaner-looking faces as well—the ones that ended up factionless due to their weakness rather than their crimes. He met each of their eyes directly, unflinching and unwavering. Some, mainly the younger ones, looked away instantly, but many still held his gaze solidly.

"Supper is at six. Get rested. We have an early start tomorrow." With that, Domino exited the chambers.

Eric watched him leave, and most of the others went back to their business. Some were in the middle of shaving, some playing cards, and there was a particularly sad-looking group of three gathered in a small cluster towards the far right corner of the room. A few of the men still glared at him with challenging eyes.

Unmoved, he stepped into room, silent. He found an empty cot and sat down. He was still drenched. Reaching behind him, he stripped off his soaked shirt, wringing it out on floor before leaning back against the concrete wall. Not two minutes later, he felt a shadow hovering over him, and he opened his eyes to see the largest of the men was standing over him. He was the poster man for a prison add, bold tattoos covering his neck and arms, as well as a jagged scar that raked over the left side of his face.

Eric didn't blink, having fixed him with a rather bored stare.

"You're in my spot, bitch."

He quirked a condescending eyebrow at him. "Am I?" To further spite him, he looked down at the cot he was sitting on before returning his eyes up at him. "I don't see your name on it."

The swiftness of the blow took him off guard, and the next thing he knew he was sprawling on the ground, chin hitting the cement hard. Some of the others shot to their feet in alarm, the group in the corner looking nothing short of terrified. Eric leapt up without pause, his fist following suit. Within seconds, a full out brawl had commenced, blows exchanging left and right as they swung and blocked at each other. Eric managed to hold his own, but this guy was easily twice his size in muscle mass, and in result his blows were twice as effective. The two other largest men had finally stepped in when Eric had been sent stumbling back into a cot where a woman sat, earning a startled squeak from her as he quickly pushed himself back up. They were separated, as they struggled against their restrainers. The one holding his opponent was trying to talk him down.

"Take it easy, Clyde. He ain't worth it."

Eric was glaring at him, eyes frigid with blue fire as he gritted his teeth and bucked against his captor. Then finally, one of only three women in room stood from her cot and faced them.

"Stop!"

They both looked at her, momentarily pausing in their efforts to get at each other. She approached them, blue eyes fierce.

"Enough! This place is bad enough without everyone wailing on each other every second!"

Eric sneered at her. "Amity, I presume?"

"Dauntless scumbag, I presume?" she snapped back.

He narrowed his eyes at her dangerously.

"Look. We're going to be stuck living together for the next ten weeks. We don't have to be friends, but we can be civil… at least while we're in this room."

It was then that one from the trio in the corner spoke up in a hesitant voice; though, it was clear he had tried to sound firm. "She's right."

Heads turned towards him.

"Tearing at each other's throats 24/7 won't get us anywhere. We were brought here for a reason. We should be working together to figure that out."

Erudite.

The woman turned to face him. "What's your name?"

"…Jacob."

She nodded. "Sarah."

Eric rolled his eyes. This was a waste of his time. Shoving his restrainer off him, he walked over to one of the other empty cots and sat back down. In that minute, he became aware of eyes on him, and he turned his head to glare coldly towards the corner. Three pairs of eyes quickly evaded his.

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><p><strong>Review if you have any questions, suggestions, or comments. Hope you're enjoying the plot so far. xoxo<strong>


	3. Can't Say I Didn't Warn You

**Guest:**** Glad you're enjoying it! Hope to see more of you.**

**Valexian rose:**** He's going to get a taste of it, all right. At the moment, he's not taking the initiation part too seriously, because he's still confident Jeanine Matthews or Max would still take him back should he be thrown out—and that's if he doesn't manage to escape first. I guess we'll see! Hope to see more from you xoxo**

**Vex:**** He doesn't have a single clue what he's in for. Poor thing lol xD**

**Bankhead56:**** I'm loving the detailed reviews! I hope to see more of you in future chapters. Towards your comment of him being twisted by his insecurities, that will be something Rain targets in future chapters. She wants to help him, but she's not going to go easy on him. Glad to hear you're enjoying Renaissance's warm welcoming so far haha. As for Four's reaction towards Rain, he's not afraid of her so much as he respects her. It may have seemed a bit odd for him to just let her take the man who tried to kill both him and Tris, but the joke's on Eric, and Four knows it. Anyways, thank you for your reviews! Keep them coming.**

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><p><strong>Chapter #3: Can't Say I Didn't Warn You<strong>

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><p>Eric was awake before any of the others, having only gotten in a couple hours of sleep before giving up after being woken by someone's thunderous snoring. That, and he hadn't wanted to let his guard down, knowing over half of his fellow bunkmates would have liked to take his eye out with a shank in his sleep. He decided not to wait for the wakeup call and instead pulled on his boots before heading out of the room. It took him a few minutes to figure out where he was going, but eventually he found stairs that lead him to the winding walkway lining the cavern's walls. He took his time, uncaring of any schedule he might be expected to be obeying. By the time he managed to locate the pit, many of Renaissance had roused and were roaming the halls. The majority of them seemed to be heading in a specific direction, and out of simple curiosity he followed.<p>

He was lead to the mess hall, and, conveniently, his squadron had made it there as well. Deciding it would be unwise to further abuse his already empty stomach, he fell into line behind the skittish Erudite from the night before. What was his name? James? Jared? He smirked loosely when he saw the guy cast a nervous glance over his shoulder at him before quickly turning back around.

Men and women were looking him up and down, their judgmental eyes sizing him up like a slab of meat. He kept a firm front, remaining silent and calm as he gazed out at the vast crowd, when suddenly he was being splattered with a cold, slick substance. His head snapped downwards to see the cook had slapped what looked like some type of sauce in his tray, causing it to splatter onto his front. Snickers emitted around him, as his eyes shifted up to glare daggers at the man before him.

The cook, a rough-looking fellow, glared back at him. "You got a problem?"

He continued to glower at him. Beside him, Jacob's eyes shifted down, shoulders slouched humbly. A lengthy silence followed, the air so thick with tension that it could have been cut with a knife. In the end, however, Eric said nothing. Reaching over, he wordlessly picked up a napkin and proceeded to calmly wipe the splatters off his arms and neck. Picking up his tray, he walked away, people snickering in his wake.

"_Eric!"_

"_Hey, Dauntless! You cry last night?"_

"_Fuck you, scumbag!"_

"_Yeah, you better keep walking!"_

"_You enjoy your shower yesterday, Eric? Heard you were pretty cold!"_

At that comment, laughter roared throughout the room.

"_You have no power here, bitch! Dauntless ain't here to protect you!"_

By the time he had found an empty table towards the back of the room, he was practically shaking with rage, even though his face was blank of any emotion. A movement to his right made him look up, and he paused upon realizing it was Edward. He stared up at him with a forced look of disinterested as the kid sat down across from him.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Edward demanded grimly.

Eric's eyes shifted to his sharply. "Why, you got a problem?" His tone was daring him to answer.

"Yeah. You're supposed to be dead."

Well, someone had grown a little too brave for his own good. "Watch it, initiate," he warned lowly.

"I'm not your initiate anymore. I'm Renaissance," answered Edward evenly.

"You got accepted?" Eric scoffed. "Well, the tests can't be that hard, then."

"Says the one who picked me for his team."

He narrowed his eyes at him.

"I was wondering when you two would find each other."

They both looked up at Rain's voice to see she had approached the table and was standing at its end. Edward stared at her with poorly concealed confusion.

"You knew?"

She nodded. "You'd be surprised what I know."

"What is this place?" Eric snapped finally. "A prison or an animal shelter?"

She turned her eyes to him calmly. "That depends. For you? Probably Hell."

He glared. "And for you?"

"Family." At that, she turned away, but then stopped only for a second. "A word of advice?"

Eric looked back to her as she spoke.

"You have no power here. It would be wise of you to practice humility if you plan to survive your first week." And with that, she left. He stared after her, watching as she pat a few men on the shoulders and received pleasant greetings as she passed.

A pair of men walked by the table, one of them plucking the biscuit off his tray. He looked up in annoyance to realize it was Clyde, as he took a spiteful bite from the biscuit before placing it back down on the tray. Edward winced to himself. This was going to get ugly _fast_.

Before he knew it, Eric was standing.

"I wouldn't," Edward warned significantly.

Eric ignored him completely and faced Clyde, sizing each other up with matching glares. Eric was at least a head shorter than Clyde, and significantly smaller in muscle mass as well. Edward was watching silently, eyes shifting back and forth between them with anticipation.

"You wanna hit me?" said Clyde. "Do it."

Eric sent a swift upper clip to his face. Clyde stumbled back in surprise, but he quickly regained himself as Eric stood in guard. He struck again, but Clyde blocked him and redirected his arm before sending a meaty fist into his gut. Grabbing Eric's head, he brought it down hard on his knee, sending the Dauntless onto his back with a crash. Edward just remained in his seat, face grim as he stared down at his former leader.

"Stay down," he warned, but Eric wasn't listening.

Recovering, he jumped back up. By now, the entire mess hall had stopped their activities to watch the brawl, as Eric and Clyde erupted into a chaotic blur of fists. Clyde moved with surprising agility for his size, nearly matching Eric's speed, who was much smaller. Eric lunged at him, but Clyde dodged, body twisting in a roundhouse that sent his foot colliding with Eric's head.

He was sent sprawling, barely rolling over before Clyde's fists were clenching around his collar and hauling him up like he weighed nothing. In a last second reflex, Eric's legs hooked around his back, hands shooting towards Clyde's throat, but he was intercepted as Clyde grabbed his wrists. Before Eric could so much as realize his mistake, he was being jerked to the side and slammed onto his back on the cement floor. The impact made him loosen his grip as pain spiked up his spine and into his head, causing his vision to flash white.

Clyde wasn't finished. Reaching down, his large hands closed around Eric's throat and hauled him upwards before throwing him down on the table, knocking the trays to the floor with a loud clatter. Edward, who had been sitting there, jumped back in alarm. Before Eric had a chance to collect himself, Clyde was driving an iron fist directly into his stab wound. He was unable to suppress the scream of pain that ripped from his throat, head throwing back as Clyde's fist continued its assault. He delivered blow after blow to the same spot, his sheer strength threatening to crack his ribs with each hit. No. He wouldn't go down like this. Face twisting into a snarl, he tried throwing him off, but to no avail.

He was lifted once more and thrown back to floor, face twisted up as his hand pressed against his throbbing side. When he felt Clyde's presence looming over him, he managed to glare up at him, only to be greeted with a booted foot in the face.

Black.

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><p>It was hours later that the first pinpricks of consciousness began to poke at his brain. Bit by bit, dull glimmers of light punctured the darkness shrouding his vision, rousing his comatose mind into a dazed state of comprehension. Consciousness came with a price, however, as he became aware of the pain that seemed to consume his entire left side. Lifting his hand, he gingerly touched the source where it was most prominent, frowning when his fingers brushed over a rough fabric. It was then he realized he was no longer laying on the cement floor of the mess hall, but a hospital cot. Slowly, he willed his eyes to open, and he was greeted with the first glimpses of his surroundings. He was in a room that reminded him much of Dauntless' sickbay, the bright lights lining the ceiling above his head seeming to glare down at him tauntingly. Then, a figure was suddenly moving into his eye path, and as his vision cleared he came to the realization that he was staring up at Rain.<p>

Her arms were folded over her chest as she stared down at him with nothing short of unimpressed disapproval. "If I said I didn't see that coming, I'd be a liar," she said.

He managed a slight glare and slowly pushed himself up with his arms, wincing faintly as his wound and ribs protested with the movement. "How long was I out?"

"Most of the day."

He looked at her indifferently. "Let me guess. I'm out?"

"Are your legs broken?"

He said nothing.

"As far as I'm concerned, if you can walk, then you may leave this room and go about your business."

He stared at her for a long moment, and then looked away whilst swinging his legs over the side of the cot. Fine. He wasn't about to give her the pleasure of an argument.

"A word of advice, initiate?"

He looked back at her as she spoke, only to see she was staring at him with consequential eyes.

"Grow up."

With that, she pivoted on her heel and strode passed him and out the door. He just glared after her, before he scoffed and hopped down from the cot. Just as he was walking towards the exit, however, a woman's voice spoke up from across the room.

"You have no idea how lucky you are."

He turned his head. The woman who had spoke up had gently tanned skin and looked to be of Japanese descent, black hair pulled back into a ponytail as she sorted out some tools on a medical table. She didn't look at him, outwardly uninterested in so much as sparing him a glance. He, however, was equally disinterested, and rather than rewarding her with a response, he opted to continue on his way without a word.

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><p>He didn't return to the initiate sleeping quarters until later that night, having ventured to the gym to let off some steam on a punching bag until his knuckles had been beaten raw. He'd had half a mind to sleep elsewhere, but in the end he had decided it would only look cowardly to the others. They would automatically assume he was too scared to confront Clyde after what happened, much less sleep in the same room as him. He was no coward, and he would prove it. He would get his revenge in due time, starting by showing them he wasn't about to back down over a fight.<p>

Clyde's head lifted over his shoulder at the sound of mutters breaking out in the room, and when he saw Eric walking by a malicious smirk pulled across his lips. "Oh, look, tough guy's back."

"Nice shiner, sweetheart," another piped in.

Eric ignored them patently and sat down on his cot, staring coldly ahead. It wasn't until he heard footsteps moving towards him that his eyes lifted darkly, but he was greeted with a surprise as Edward came to sit down on the cot across from him, face set with bold cheek.

"Can't say I didn't warn you."

"What makes you think you can talk to me?" Eric's eyes were scathing. "Stop following me around like a lost puppy. In fact, if you were smart, you'd stay away from me. You'd have less enemies."

Edward's expression didn't change. Eric looked away, vaguely irritated. "If you're going to bother anyone, go to the group in the corner. They need your advice more than anyone."

Edward allowed a small smirk onto his face. "I'll take that as a compliment coming from you."

Eric looked up to glower at him from beneath his eyelashes, and if it had been months ago, it would have sent the kid tucking tail, but he just continued to sit there, looking almost smug. It made his blood simmer.

"Either wipe that smug look off your face, or sleep with your good eye open," he growled at last. Though, his voice was smooth as ever, only a fool wouldn't be able to hear the venom dripping from his tone.

"You might want to do the same." And with that, Edward stood and walked back towards the stairs.

Eric's fists clenched.

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><p><strong>Short chapter is short. Next chapter features the first session of training: knife throwing. Piece of cake, right?<strong>


	4. Flinch

**bankhead56:**He's going to be a tough one to reach, that's for sure. The guy has no inner Zen at all haha. Rain really does want to help him, but, _being Eric_, he's too thickheaded to see it. To put it plainly, this is not the last time he's going to get his butt kicked, and royally. As for you comment on Eric being upset his life wasn't ended, Rain knows he would have been fine with dying. She has a talent for reading people like an open book, which will show more in future chapters during her encounters with Eric. Edward is a prime example of her ability to see past the bloodshed. How he came to be in Renaissance will be explained later, as well as how Rain helped him, and I think Eric could learn a thing or two from his former initiate. Anyways, looking forward to seeing more of you! Happy reading.

**Vex:** If he thinks he has it rough now, he has no idea what he's in for. He's going to learn the hard way. I hope I don't disappoint with the knife throwing scene.

**Guest:** Glad to hear you're enjoying the story! Hope to see more of you xoxo

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><p><strong>Chapter #4: Flinch<strong>

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><p>The pointed end of the knife struck the target with a satisfying <em>whap<em>, impaling the bull's-eye with flawless precision. Beside it, three other knives dug into the translucent blue board, all within the circle. Knife throwing. What would she have him do next? Partner him up with Jacob and practice hand-to-hand combat?

Drawing his arm back, he whipped yet another knife forward, jaded expression unwavering as he hit the target dead on for about the twentieth time. Bored, he glanced beside him where Jacob was throwing. He watched with dismally unimpressed eyes, as the Erudite misfit missed the target every time. His knives lay scattered on the floor after failing miserably to land sharp-end-forward. Eric watched him draw his arm back once more, but the blade barely made it to the target when it clattered to the floor. Scoffing, he threw his last knife, hitting his target directly.

"Pathetic."

Jacob glanced at him from the corner of his eye, eyes falling to the floor. Unbeknownst to either of them, Rain had walked up behind them and was watching intently from a safe distance. When Jacob made another attempt at hitting his target, he was left with a heavy-shouldered stature when the knife impaled the wood on the lower left side of the board. Eric glanced at him.

"So, why are you factionless?" Although his voice held a casual tone, only an idiot wouldn't be able to hear the condescending undertones.

Jacob looked at him grimly from the corner of his eye before looking back forward. "Not because I murdered hundreds of innocent people."

Eric was hardly fazed, watching as yet another of Jacob's knives ricocheted off the target. "With your aim, I believe it."

Just as he was going to throw again, a sudden, rough shove to his shoulder knocked off his aim, causing the knife to pierce way off his goal. As a result, the blade didn't stick, and it clattered noisily to the floor. His head snapped up angrily, only to see it was Clyde who had intervened, his expression disdainful.

"Jackass." Turning away, the ex-convict gave Jacob's shoulder a hearty pat as he passed. "Don't sweat it, kid."

Jacob looked nothing short of surprised. "…Thanks…"

Eric scoffed, unimpressed. "If you're so good at this, why don't you teach him how to throw?"

"Because he can learn on his own—unlike you—because you already know so much," replied Clyde sneeringly.

"I know you strays look out for one another."

Clyde sent him a deadly glare over his shoulder, but his attention was reverted to Domino as he stepped forward towards Eric. However, before he could make it three steps, Rain was striding passed him. Eric looked at her, unconcerned, even as she grabbed the remaining knives from his hands and shoved him forward towards the targets.

"Stand in front of the target." Her voice was cold, leaving no room for argument. When all he did was glare at her, her tone turned deadly. "_Now_."

He almost jeered at her. Fine. If that's how she wanted to play. Turning, he calmly walked over to the target, standing with his head held high and shoulders back, hands clasped in front of him as he stared defiantly into her eyes. If it was fear she was trying to instill into him, it would not work. She wasn't going to hit him. He could see straight through her. She was soft.

"Clyde."

His secure exterior faltered fleetingly, eyes snapping to Clyde as he stepped forward. Rain's eyes remained locked on him as Clyde picked up a set of six knives from the table. "You're going to stand pretty while he throws those knives. If you flinch, you can expect a repeat of that shower..." She motioned to Clyde with her own knife, "with him at the hose."

Domino snorted, a grin tugging at the corners of his lips. A few others snickered throughout the room. Clyde was smirking maliciously. Eric's eyes resembled two storm clouds, but he did not back down. Rain looked to Clyde at last, and he nodded, stepping forward as she stood off to the side. Eric's eyes were locked with Clyde's as he inwardly calmed himself.

Clyde's arm whipped forward, sending the first knife landing a mere inch above his head. Eric didn't flinch. Two more were sent his way at lightning speed, emitting sharp thumps as they impaled sharply on either side of his neck. The cool metal of the blades pressed against his flesh, and he could feel the serrated edges digging into his skin just enough to draw a couple drops of blood. He did not budge, jaw clenched in stubborn bravado. Clyde's eyes were sinister, locked with his in a battle of ascendancy.

"What, no smartass comments to throw at me?"

Eric glared right back, daring him to throw another. So, he did. One landed aside his ear, nicking the skin of his helix, and another blade did the same on his other side, forming a hazardous crown of five knives around his head and neck. Eric stood firm despite the trickle of blood he felt dancing down his neck, body stiff and eyes electric. One left. When Clyde's arm whipped forward for the sixth time, the blade made a bold mark right between Eric's legs, the handle pressing up against his groin tauntingly. A few gasps escape amongst the gathered crowd, as Eric slowly allowed his muscles to relax.

Clyde's expression was bitter with sour disappointment. Eric allowed himself a small, triumphant smirk, but his victory was short-lived. Just as he was going to step away from the target, his smile disappeared when another knife suddenly impaled the board next to his head, missing him by a mere inch. His eyes snapped towards Domino.

"Wipe that smirk off your face, Eyebrow."

Eric scowled at the name, knowing it was a derogatory reference to his piercing.

Domino looked to the others. "We're done for the day." The crowd dispersed, turning away whilst muttering amongst themselves in hushed gossip. Eric's eyes met Rain's briefly. She looked nothing short of cross.

"Keep it up. You're only digging your own grave." She left as well.

He was left standing by himself, two thin trails of blood painting either side of his neck and both his ears. His blood was simmering, once again threatening to boil straight through his skin. If respect was what she wanted from him, she would never get it—especially by using fear to reach him. Sneering, he stepped back from the target and looked up at the knives. Reaching up, he tugged one out and eyed the blade, still painted red on its edge with his blood. Fine. Blood for blood. Everyone needed to watch their backs.

Later that night, he had perched himself on the roof, having completely skipped supper and spent most of his afternoon beating his knuckles raw on a punching bag. He sat on the ledge, gazing out at the city beyond with brooding eyes. He was high enough to see over the fence, and from where he was perched he could see the highest point of Dauntless headquarters in the far distance. It was a cruel punishment to be within sight yet so far from his reach. If it hadn't been for the godforsaken death trap around his ankle, he would have been leading an army back to Renaissance by now.

A sudden growl caused him to grimace in irritation. His stomach was screaming at him. It had been for the past three days. Then suddenly, footsteps crunching over the gravel caused him to look over his shoulder. It was Edward. His eyebrow arched dubiously, but he returned his gaze back forward after a moment, eyes dark. He wasn't in the mood for this.

Edward walked up behind him. "I heard you and Rain butted heads today."

"What do you want?" he snapped.

"I'm curious." The younger guy sat down beside him. "Why are you so bitter?"

"The fact you're sitting next to me right now proves your stupidity."

Edward hardly looked intimidated. Wordlessly, he tossed something into Eric's lap, and his head snapped down. It was something wrapped in foil. He looked back at Edward.

"Your life here is only going to get harder if you don't eat."

Eric scowled at him. "I don't need your help."

"Fine." The kid held out his hand. "Then give it back."

Eric's eyes were deadly, but, finally, he picked up the foil and unwrapped it. It was a sandwich. Lifting it, he gave it a suspicious sniff. He didn't smell anything off about it, and he grimaced when his stomach gave another demanding growl at the scent of food. Next to him, Edward rolled his eyes.

"Just eat it."

Eric sent him a warning look from the corner of his eye, but finally took bite, chewing slowly as he forced himself to swallow his pride. Edward handed him a canteen, and he sent him a halfhearted glare before taking it begrudgingly.

Edward leaned back on his hands. "Rain isn't looking to make your life miserable. She wants to help you, but you're not letting her."

"I don't need her help, nor did I ever ask for it. She can give her pity to someone who needs it."

"Oh, believe me, she doesn't pity you."

Eric looked at him. "How does Renaissance pick its initiates?"

Edward shrugged. "Renaissance calls it as they see it—especially Rain. She had a knack for seeing things that others can't. She's not where she is because people fear her, that's for sure."

"I find it hard to believe she has so much respect when she treats her initiates like children."

"She only treats them like children if they act like children."

Eric's eyes narrowed venomously, but Edward didn't flinch.

"She's not going hard on you just to mock you. She's trying to teach you a lesson."

Eric scoffed. "And what lesson would that be?"

"That's for you to figure out."

He gritted his teeth in annoyance. "Why is everything a fucking riddle around here?"

"It's not. You're just stubborn."

He rolls his eyes and took another bite from the sandwich. "She thinks she can stop me from returning to Erudite."

"That's assuming you don't get killed first."

Eric looked at him, and Edward shrugged.

"I'm just being rational."

A long silence drifted between them….

"I think you're going to be disappointed if you leave Renaissance for Erudite," said Edward finally.

"And why should I take your opinion seriously?"

"It's not an opinion. It's a fact. They didn't risk their butts to get you out of that chair. What makes you think they're going to risk their necks to get you out of Renaissance?"

"They don't have to. I'm going to go to them."

Edward nudged his leg burdened with the anklet. "Not with that, you're not."

"I'll figure something out." He took another bite from the sandwich, chewing thoughtfully. "I always do."

* * *

><p><strong>Eric and Clyde get into it again next chapter. They are turning out to be the best of mates, amiright? True bromance. Tell me your thoughts! <strong>


	5. Lost Cause

**purpledivergent:**Thanks so much, lovie. Xoxo

**jemlou:** I'm thankful to hear people are agreeing with my portrayal of Eric's character. He's definitely one of the more difficult characters in Divergence to write. Edward along with a couple others are going to become prominent influences in Eric's life as the story progresses, despite Eric's reluctance to accept their help. As for your comment on calling Rain refreshing, thanks so much! That's such a huge compliment in the OC world. Can't wait to hear more from you!

**bankhead56:** Once again, I can't tell you how much I appreciate the regular reviews. I'm glad to see you've recognized the key elements of the chapter! Eric knows he's way out of his element; he's just too stubborn to admit it. He knows he's in trouble. As for Rain's choice of punishment, she has her connections when she wants to dig up some dirt on people. Eric is a stubborn, testosterone-fueled man who sees accepting any type of help as a weakness—especially from his enemies. But as reluctant as he was to take the food Edward gave him, I think he knew it would be even dumber to throw it back in his face. I guess it takes three straight days of butt-whopping and starvation for the Erudite in him to finally kick in. Edward and Rain, so far, are literally the only two people in the world who are even vaguely concerned with Eric's wellbeing, but he's still at the point where he would rather shoot himself in the foot than accept their help. As for Clyde, a hard lesson is exactly what he's trying to teach Eric. He just doesn't think Eric will ever learn.

**SinisterConcussion:** Clyde can be two things: your worst nightmare or your best friend. Eric, unfortunately, has chosen to be his enemy. A spoiled brat is exactly how Clyde views him. Hope to hear more from you!

**Vex:** Glad to hear I didn't disappoint! There will be more knives thrown at our dear Eric in the future, but it won't be nearly as friendly ;) Thank you for the review!

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><p><strong>Chapter #5: Lost Cause<strong>

* * *

><p>"Aagh!"<p>

His opponent hit the ground with a graceless crash, landing awkwardly on his arm and earning a pained shout through gritted teeth. Eric circled him as he pushed himself up, eyes locked on his every movement. It wasn't until his opponent had managed to get to his feet did he strike, blitzing in and sending a rock hard fist into the man's jaw and sending him sprawling once more onto the mats. This man, whose name he had come to learn was Kane, was about the same size as him, but his lack of experience in the ring had shown itself instantly when they had begun to fight. Within seconds, Eric had awarded him with a split lip and purple bruise that was already making a prominent appearance on his cheek.

On either side of the ring, Rain and Domino were pacing back and forth at a leisurely stride, eyes locked on the sparring match with silent, hawk-like vigilance. Neither of them made a move to step in, expressions unreadable as Eric's opponent got back to his feet, where Eric was waiting for him in guard. The moment he was on his feet, Eric was on him again, and they resumed exchanging blows. Despite Kane's efforts, however, he was no match for the more experienced Dauntless, and after a swift blow to the face he was down again.

Eric sneered down at his opponent, less than impressed. Who were these girls? Feeling eyes on him, he lifted his head to be met with a pair of baby blues staring at him.

"You got a problem?"

Jacob quickly averted his eyes in hasty submission. With a disdainful sniff, he returned his attention down to Kane as he pushed himself back to his feet. Before he made it to his hands and knees, however, Eric swiped his hands from beneath him using his foot, nearly sending the other man landing cruelly on his chin.

"Just stay down." Shaking his head, he turned away.

"Eyebrow."

He stopped short. His teeth gritted in annoyance at the name Domino had come to favor in addressing him. The other was "Anarchy", which Rain had come up with, but they both used. He wasn't an anarchist. He was a soldier, not a rebel. It wasn't his fault they couldn't force him to be _their_ soldier. It pissed him off to no end. In defiant spite, he kept walking.

"Anarchy!" Domino barked.

"That is not my name."

He suddenly became aware of something whistle through the air, and the next thing he knew, a cord was wrapping around his neck. His eyes flew wide as his windpipe was cut off, his hands flying up to claw at the cord. Before he could so much as process what was happening, he was being yanked backwards. He crashed hard on his back, and a sharp pain spiked up his spine and into his skull with the landing, leaving him momentarily incapacitated. It was as his vision was clearing that Domino came to stand over him, glaring down at him with nothing short of scorn.

"Tip. Renaissance doesn't just look for winners. We look for honor."

Reaching down, he ripped the cord free from Eric's neck and yanked it back. Coughing, Eric's hands came up to rub his neck as he rolled onto his hands and knees. There would definitely be a mark there later. Lifting his head, he came to realize the offending cord had actually been a bull whip, which was now recoiled and resting in Domino's left hand.

"You learn to use all types of weapons around here, Eyebrow. Be thankful I didn't use it to its full extent."

Glowering up at him, Eric pushed himself to his feet. "Oh, I apologize. Was I supposed to hold his hand and help him up?"

The others were staring openly now, and their eyes shifted to Rain as she walked over. She looked no more impressed than Domino did.

"You think you're one hell of a badass, don't you?" It didn't take a genius to tell the question was rhetorical, but he humored her with an answer, nonetheless.

"I can take care of myself."

She raised both her eyebrows and gave a sort of nod. "Really." His eyes were equally devious. She turned to Domino. "Get me Kaz."

A smirk stretched across his scarred face, and he gave a single nod before heading out of the room. Eric watched him go only briefly before returning his gaze to Rain, only to see her eyes were locked intently on him. Within ten minutes, Domino had arrived with a boy of Hispanic descent, no older than seventeen. He was about half Eric's size, even smaller than Jacob—hardly an intimidating sight. Eric nearly scoffed out loud. She must be joking.

"If you're as tough as you seem to believe, then this should be a piece of cake for you," said Rain.

He regarded her coolly. "You want me to fight him?"

Her eyes bore deep into his. "I want you to lay him out."

Off to the side, Jacob exchanged uneasy glances with Sarah. Eric looked back at the kid, unfazed. "Okay."

Rain stepped out of ring, and Kaz stepped in, expression placid and unreadable. He got into a guard, as did Eric, and they waited for Rain's go. Because all their attentions were focused towards the ring, however, they failed to notice the two figures that had entered the room and were now standing undetected in the shadows. Four and Tris stood side-by-side, eyes locked intently on the ring. Rain, of course, had noticed them the moment they walked in, and the single, cool glance she sent their way clearly told them so. They exchanged brief glances, but returned their eyes to Eric and his opponent.

"Begin."

Kaz made the first move, stepping to the side. Eric followed his lead, circling each other slowly; eyes solidly locked. The kid didn't show a single trace of intimidation by Eric's size and cold gaze despite his significantly smaller stature. Finally, Eric was the one to strike first. His fist launched a speedy blow, but his opponent swiftly dodged and followed up with an unexpected upper clip that nailed him directly in the chin.

Eric stumbled back in surprise, and that was when his opponent decided to suddenly burst into a full-fledge ninja. With a shrill yell, his leg had come up in a roundhouse that Eric barely dodged, and the boy jumped up in an airborne spin kick, body twisting in the air like a spring. Eric stumbled back as one of his feet caught him in the jaw, and he was barely given two seconds before the kid was coming at him in a back flip kick aimed for his front. This one he was able to avoid, taking a hasty step back. He quickly lifted his guard, but his opponent was too fast. Arms shooting up between Eric's, he whacked his arms aside before bombarding his torso with innumerable, rapid blows that could have given Muhammad Ali a run for his money.

"Holy shit!" exclaimed Frank, one of the largest initiated aside from Clyde.

Eric went down from a swift, hard blow to the face, landing clumsily with a prominent thud. Clyde made a face that was a combination of a wince and smile as he exchanged looks with Frank, the both of them clearly enjoying the show. In the shadows, Tris looked up at Four incredulously.

Rain stepped forward. "Time."

Kaz dropped his guard, shoulders relaxing. Eric looked up at him as he stepped towards him and held his hand out. Scowling, he shoved his hand away and pushed himself up on his own. Rain stepped into the ring.

"Thank you, Kaz."

He responded with a respectful bow and went on his way. Rain then looked to Eric, complacency painted across her features.

"You lack focus." She nodded towards the door. "Take yourself to the infirmary. If Claire tells me you never showed, you're on bathroom cleaning duty for a week." She looked to the others. "Dismissed."

With that, she turned away. Domino walked with her, shaking his head all the while.

"The moron will never learn."

"He's a loyal soldier. We just have to give it time. When he realizes he's giving loyalty to the wrong people, I think he will surprise us."

"If you say so."

She looked towards where Four and Tris were standing at last. "Come. We can talk in my office."

Domino blinked and followed her gaze to where the two Dauntless were standing. When he saw them, he paused in his step. "What are they doing here?"

"What else? To see how their dear friend Eric is doing."

* * *

><p>Rain shut the door to her office after Four and Tris made their entrance, and she walked around behind her desk. "I take it you're here about Eric?"<p>

"That's part of the reason," said Four.

Rain's eyes shifted to his. "If you're here requesting I return him to Dauntless, you're going to leave disappointed."

"He's too dangerous to keep alive. If he escapes—"

"He won't."

"How do you know?" challenged Tris.

"Because no one has ever left Renaissance who isn't meant to leave." Her eyes met the young girl's solidly. "If it sounds your mind, he has an anklet on that will electrocute him into a temporary coma should he as much as step beyond the gates."

"He looks pretty beat up." Four tilted his head at her. "I'm assuming what we saw today wasn't the only beating he's gotten around here."

"Let's just say he's a bit slow."

The corner of his mouth twitched upwards ever so faintly. "Why are you keeping him here? What exactly is it you hope to achieve?"

"Eventually, he's going to see he's been siding with the wrong team."

"You're trying to _change_ him?" asked Tris.

"He's the only one who can change him. All I can do is provide him with hard facts. Over the past week, he's been learning the hard way that acting like a pretentious hothead only earns him merit badges in the form of cuts and bruises."

"If it's humility you're trying to teach him, I think you're going to be disappointed," said Four. "He's too corrupt. It's a lost cause, Rain."

"Four, tell me, when have I ever been wrong in judging my initiates?" She met his gaze directly. "Take a look around you. So far, Renaissance is the only faction uncorrupted by Jeanine Matthews."

"Not for long with all the new serums she's creating. Before you know it, your men are going to be under her control—if not because she admires their skills, then out of spite. She knows you have Eric, and she knows you're dangling him over her. You don't want to attract that kind of attention to yourself, Rain. Believe me."

"First of all, I'm not dangling Eric over anyone. Despite his actions, I'm treating him no differently than the rest of my initiates."

"Why are you putting so much faith into that murderer?" Tris finally blurted. "He's responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Abnegation. He shot a child in the head!"

Rain remained calm. "Four has killed innocents, Tris. Under the orders of Dauntless. I don't see you holding that against him."

The girl stammered. "That's not the same."

"Is it not?"

Tris said nothing, silenced by the argument. Rain's eyes were strangely gentle.

"We've all taken lives. It doesn't matter the reason. When it's all boiled down, lives were lost, and we can't bring them back."

Four's eyes fell.

Rain continued, "No death can be excused, no matter the situation that caused it. All we can do is move forward. The past can't be changed. Should we really pay for the lives lost with more lives?"

They said nothing.

"I don't know about you, but I've seen enough death for five lifetimes. Now with Erudite wreaking havoc on innocents, I think now is a good time to save as many lives as we can rather than contributing to the bloodshed. Yes, more will be lost. There will be times where we cannot avoid killing, but if it can be avoided, then avoid it. I can't explain to you why I chose to spare Eric. You're just going to have to see for yourselves."

"What exactly is it we're going to see?" Although his voice was calm, the challenging tone in Four's question couldn't be missed.

"Realization."

His eyebrows drew together, as he exchanged looks with Tris.

* * *

><p>Eric left the infirmary with a prominent scowl stamped on his features, a softball-sized bruise splotching his cheek from his fight with that little jiujutsu bastard. He had never felt so humiliated and furious in his life. It was causing his gut to clench and twist, writhing within him to the point of nausea. Eventually, he had made his way back to the initiate quarters, in need of a change of shirt after his blood had gotten smeared on the one he was wearing. His foul mood did not go undetected by his bunkmates, who had all burst into animated murmurs the moment he walked in, muttering amongst themselves as eyes cast him analyzing glances. In the corner, Jacob, Tyler, and Sarah were all staring at him. Sarah's eyes were narrowed with poorly concealed dislike, and it took every shred of self control he had not to stride over to her and slug that self-righteous bitch out cold. As he walked over to his bunk, he couldn't help but catch a few of the comments filtering around the room.<p>

"_How the hell did he become a leader at Dauntless?"_

"_He knew people, obviously. He didn't get the title out of respect, that's for sure."_

"_The guy's nothing but a spoiled jock. He's so used to getting his balls coddled that he forgot what a real beating tastes like."_

"_Not anymore, he don't."_

"_Haha, for real."_

"_No wonder they tossed him. Can't fight for shit. Obviously can't learn for shit, neither."_

"_Fucking moron is going to get killed in here. He may have escaped the execution chair, but it won't be long before someone else finishes the job."_

"_Good riddance. I'm sick of sharing a bunk with his high and mighty ass. He doesn't deserve to be here."_

"_No shit. Didn't he kill a kid?"_

"_That's what I heard."_

"_If he ain't scared shitless, then he's even dumber than I thought. Dumb bastard doesn't have a clue what kind of danger he's in."_

"_Jacob, no!"_ whispered a sharp voice.

His eyes shifted towards the corner five cots down from him to see Sarah attempting to pull Jacob back down by the arm. He watched with lethal eyes as the kid approached him, shoulders slouched humbly. What he serious? Jacob stopped about a foot from the end of his cot, obviously nervous but trying to hide it. If the laws of physics weren't a thing, Eric's eyes would have fired belt-fed bullets.

"...You know… you're only digging your own grave."

Eric sat up sharply, watching with satisfaction as Jacob recoiled a couple steps, startled. However, he did not back down as expected.

"I'm just trying to warn you. You're fighting the wrong people," he said, clearly terrified but persistent. "And you're only screwing yourself if you're willing to throw your life back into the hands of Erudite."

That did it. In the blink of an eye, Eric was on his feet and towering above him, but before he could so much as lift his fist, he was being shoved to the side by a strong force. He landed harshly against the wall, back and head colliding painfully with the concrete as he tripped over one of the cots. Before he knew it, he was on the floor for the third time that day, looking up just in time to see Clyde towering above him.

"Not so tough around people your size, are you, asshole?" Reaching down, he grabbed him by the collar and roughly yanked him up before shoving him back towards the exit. Eric turned on him, ready to fight, but he stopped as Frank and two other of the larger initiates, Eli and Xavier, joined Clyde's side.

"Get the fuck out of here before we tear you a third hole, jackass," Clyde growled. "I don't want to see your face back in here tonight, got it? And don't even think about showing your face at dinner unless you plan on showing some respect."

There was enough fire in Eric's eyes to overcome the sun, but even he wasn't that stupid. For a long, tense moment he held the four men's gazes with solid defiance, but it had already been made clear who was going to walk away the loser here. He was nearly shaking with rage, as he turned swiftly on his heel and strode towards the exit, Jacob quickly moving out of his way with his hands up in surrender.

* * *

><p>Hours had passed since he'd been driven out. Meal hour had come and gone, but he had not moved from his spot standing rigidly at the edge of the chasm, arms folded over his chest in a brooding stance as he glared down at the pitch blackness below. It was a quiet area where barely anyone came though, and when they did they simply crossed over the chasm on the bridge and disappeared into the hall on the opposite end, completely ignoring his existence aside from a curious glance here and there.<p>

Once again his stomach growled at him in aggravation for being forgotten, but he obstinately ignored his hunger. Deep down he knew he had accepted defeat, not once, but twice when he had chosen not to take on Clyde, and when he had skipped supper. As if the feeling of his stomach eating itself wasn't bad enough, the gut-churning rage he had been simmering over for the past three hours was only adding to the nausea. He needed to get out of there. He would not go down. Not like this.

He grew aware of the sound of footsteps crossing over the bridge, but he didn't pay it any mind, figuring it was just another Renaissance making his or her way over the chasm. However, they gradually slowed to a stop, and his head lifted in a mixture of curiosity and irritation.

Edward held his hands up as a sign of peace when he saw his glare. "I'm not here to fight."

"Then keep walking," Eric growled lowly.

The kid once again surprised him by not backing down. Instead, he walked over to him. Eric's eyes narrowed at the show of audacity, but he did not make any move to attack him. What the fuck could this teenager possibly want from him? And they said _he_ wasn't able to learn.

Edward approached his side, and it was then that Eric realized he was holding something in his hand, and that it was wrapped in foil. He had to be kidding….

"I know you don't like accepting help from people, so consider it a means of survival." The ex-Dauntless offered him the foiled sandwich.

Eric couldn't help but stare incredulously. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I could ask you the same question," Edward countered.

Eric's eyes narrowed to tiny slits. He was pushing it.

"Sooo, are you going to take the sandwich or—"

He was cut off when Eric snatched it from him, obviously annoyed with his presence. Once again, his frustration was raised by himself as he showed weakness by accepting the food.

"We're not in Dauntless anymore."

He paused in the midst of unwrapping the foil, and, slowly, he looked up at him.

"I'm just saying," Edward added. "Why do you keep fighting against them? This place is our second chance. It's what got me off the streets and Four's finger off the trigger."

Despite his impatience, Eric found himself answering, "She thinks she's better than all of us. I'm Dauntless. I don't take orders from these people."

"You don't get it."

Again, Eric turned his head to glare at him.

"They're not trying to boss us around. They're trying to make us stronger. They're pushing us to our limits just like Dauntless would, and they're targeting our weaknesses to make us stronger. If you would stop trying so hard to be better than everyone, maybe you'd make a few allies."

Turning to face him fully, Eric got right up in his face, easily a head taller than his former initiate. "Just because I'm no longer your leader doesn't mean get too brave."

Edward was unfazed. "Hit me." Shrugging, he shook his head. "I've got nothing to lose. Neither do you."

If eyes were capable of throwing knives….

"You know why Rain and Domino are targeting you, right?"

"Enlighten me."

"You're cocky. You take pleasure in knocking people down, even when they're trying to help you. In Renaissance, people have honor. If someone loses a sparring match, the winner helps them up."

"Yeah?" Eric scoffed. "Are you going to help enemies up in the battlefield, too?"

"I'm talking about fellow Renaissance. Rain is trying to _help_ you. She's harsh on us, because she believes we can be better. Now, I don't know what it was that she saw in you, but whatever it was it made her stop your execution. Whether you want to admit it or not, you owe her your life."

"I don't owe her anything."

"Yeah, yeah, you didn't ask for her help." Edward rolled his eyes. "You think she's a bitch, but all she's doing is treating you the same way you would treat any of your initiates. This faction is called _Renaissance_. It's a new start, rebirth… resurgence. Are you seriously going to throw that away and be tossed to the streets because you're too full of yourself to swallow your pride?"

Eric looked murderous now, but Edward just turned his back to him and walked away.

"She's trying to help you, Eric."

"I don't need her help."

"Not yet… but when you realize you do… it'll be too late."

Edward disappeared into the hall. In a fit of pent-up rage, Eric chucked the sandwich into the chasm without thinking.

"_FUCK!_"

* * *

><p><strong>There goes your food for the week, bro. Oh, Eric. I'm trying to get to the part where he encounters Jeanine, but I don't want to rush it. Coming up next... Eric's luck nearly runs out, and lack of food and proper rest affects his ability to fight back.<strong>


	6. Over the Edge

**Vex:** I almost didn't have him throw it haha. He's just digging his own grave at this point. Hope you enjoy the chapter.

**bankhead56:** Eric has never been good at complimenting people, and I don't think he's used to receiving them, either. And, yes, his tendency to act before thinking when he's pissed is his greatest flaw, I think. Even when training his initiates, he never verbally recognized their talents. As for Four and Tris visiting Renaissance, I was THIS close to having him see them haha, but decided against it last second. Don't worry, though. They will have a confrontation sooner or later. The sandwich was a perfect example of acting before thinking. I think deep down he knows he's in deep shit, but he's just too proud and maybe even a little afraid to admit it.

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><p><strong>Chapter #6: Over the Edge<strong>

* * *

><p>The pit was thriving with early night activity, having filled to the brim during the usual mid supper rush. Voices chattered and hummed throughout the room, accompanied by boisterous laughter here and there, or an occasional bout of disagreement between Renaissance who had a bit too much to drink.<p>

Eric walked leisurely through the masses of soldiers, keeping a firm grip on the beer bottle in his hand as he took a hearty swig. If anyone wanted to start shit with him that night, it would end with a bottle cracking over their heads, and the jagged end scooping out their intestines. As he was walking, his eyes happened to land on a section of tables, where some men were playing cards and drinking. Amongst the group was Jacob, playing a game of poker with four men who had the physical potential to snap him like a twig.

Then suddenly, the ex-Erudite slapped his cards down onto the table in a state of victorious triumph. "Behold, gentlemen."

A series of groans and conquered cusses followed, as his hefty opponents threw their cards down onto the table with resentful defeat, but none of them made any move to start a brawl. One of them even lifted his arm to give Jacob a genial pat on the back.

"Not bad for a scrawny bookworm."

Jacob was smiling. Fucking really.

Shaking his head, Eric turned towards the stairs and made his way up and out of the pit. After aimlessly walking through the halls for what felt like an hour, having abandoned his now empty beer, he decided to make his way to the gym. So far, it proved to be the only place he vaguely appreciated about this hellhole. He resorted to letting off some steam on the bags, but he hadn't been at it for five minutes before an all too familiar female voice caught his ear.

"Take it easy, Anarchy. Shouldn't you be at supper?"

He ignored her completely, and she shrugged.

"Fine. Suit yourself." Rain went to walk away, but was stopped by his next comment.

"I'm not your experiment."

She turned back to him as he gave her a cold glance from the corner of his eye.

"I'm not your plaything. I don't need your help. I'm not some broken soldier that needs fixing," he sneered.

The look she gave him was something along the lines of skeptical, before she silently stepped forward. Reaching out, she stopped the bag with her hand, causing him to look at her in irritation, only to look down as she pressed her hand to his chest and pushed him back. He watched as she came to stand in front of the bag, where she exhaled into a guard, bringing her arms down in front of her. There was a second's pause, when she suddenly whipped around in a sidekick that sent the bag flying backwards on the bar. He was staring, expression faltering briefly as she turned to face him.

"Anger gets you nowhere, initiate. Nor does cockiness." She motioned to the bag next to her. "Again."

Eric's eyes narrowed. He stepped forward, glaring at her in a way that told her he greatly unappreciated her smugness. She just quirked eyebrow at him, and he turned his attention back to the bag. He tried what she did but failed, only managing to jostle the bag back a couple inches.

"Like I said. You lack focus."

His eyes were colder than ice-encased stone, refusing to look at her.

"And I don't consider you my plaything, nor do I consider you a broken soldier." With that, she made her departure, leaving him to stare after her back, eyebrows drawing together at her words.

* * *

><p>"Can I ask what you hope to gain from keeping him here?"<p>

Rain sighed, swirling the contents of her glass idly as she stared morosely at the wall from her desk. Across from her sat Domino, who had already downed a good three glasses of scotch, but he barely looked affected.

"It just didn't feel right letting Four pull that trigger. You know me. When my gut screams at me, I listen to it."

"You think he can change?"

"Anyone is capable of change. All bad men started out good. No one is born with blood thirst."

He grunted. "So what's his story?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. I couldn't find anything. All I know is that he has twelve fears, but I don't know what they're rooted to, and I don't want to force him into his fear landscapes if I hope to gain his trust."

"You think Jeanine will try to kill him if he goes back?"

Another heavy sigh left her lips. "All I know is that nothing good would come of it. He won't allow himself to accept he's nothing more than a resourceful tool. He solidly believes Jeanine and Max have his back—at least to a professional point. He doesn't strike me as the type to form emotional bonds with people."

"Well, he ain't the first one to be brainwashed by that presumptuous bitch. So, what are you gonna do?"

"There's nothing I can do aside from what I've been doing. The rest is up to him." She leaned back in her seat. "He thinks I view him as an experiment and a plaything. He refuses to so much as consider people want to help him. Hell, even Clyde is trying to help him… in his own way."

At that statement, Domino chuckled. "I never get tired watching him put that son of a bitch in his place."

She shot him a flattened look.

"What? However, that little scrap you set up with Kaz… now that was gold."

She scoffed.

"…So about the factionless."

"I can't say I didn't see that coming."

"This is going to be war."

A mirthless chuckle left her lips. "It already is."

"You thinkin' about intervening?"

She shook her head. "Not intervening. Preparing for the worst is the more appropriate wording. I'm avoiding violent conflict until absolutely necessary."

He scoffed, shaking his head in amusement. "You're such an Amity sometimes."

She smiled. "Peace is scarcer than divergents these days. We need to try and preserve it for as long as we can."

"This should be interesting."

* * *

><p>Eric looked up at the clock on the wall after finishing a set of pushups. It was late, nearly midnight. He'd been at it for nearly four hours. Fuck, he'd be sore in the morning. Feeling as if his every atom was made of lead, he dragged himself from the room. As he walked along the ledges overlooking the pit, he looked down at the long drop, wondering pensively if anyone had ever taken the plunge. It wouldn't surprise him.<p>

A sudden scuffle made him abruptly stop in his tracks. He fell still, listening intently. No one else was in sight, but he was no fool, his tired brain switching to full alert as his eyes scanned the area vigilantly. A tense silence followed. Then suddenly, five figures were darting from the halls towards him, clad in all black with masks covering their faces.

His training kicked in instantly. The first one went down with a single jab to the throat, as another tried wrapping their arm around his neck in a headlock, only to receive Eric's elbow in their stomach before being thrown over his shoulder. That was just about where his luck ran out, however, as the three largest stepped forward all at once. The first blow landed on his jaw, while a second fist plowed into his stomach, knocking the wind out of him and leaving him wheezing. He buckled over as the one behind him kicked him in the back of the knees, and before he could blink another fist was colliding with his face. He slammed to the ground, head bouncing off the concrete. Not giving him a second's chance to recover, two hands grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt, and he was yanked up like he weighed virtually nothing. The next thing he knew, he was toppling backwards.

His eyes flew open as he realized there was no wall behind him, and his arms flailed momentarily before a brief sense of weightlessness overtook his body, heart skipping a beat. Right at the last second, by sheer luck, he managed to grab a hold of the ledge, as a gasp escaped his throat with the rush of adrenaline that flooded through his veins. The rough concrete scraped the palms of his hands as he tried pulling himself back up, but his attention was redirected upwards as one of the masked men came to stand above him.

"_Dauntless never give up__."_

He stomped a booted foot down on one of his hands, and he was forced to let go with a pained shout. Now hanging on by just one hand, he gritted his teeth as he struggled to hold on. His four-hour-long workout had left his muscles feeling rubbery and burning from lactic acid, and the lack of sleep and food definitely wasn't helping his situation, either. He could feel his fingers slipping inch by inch….

"Stop screwing around and finish him already!"

This was it.

All of a sudden, a shout grabbed his attackers' attentions, and the man standing above him snapped his head over his shoulder in alarm, when a pair of hands all of a sudden shoved him forwards from behind. The bastard's eyes flew wide with unadulterated fear as he fell forwards into the chasm, and Eric's head snapped down to watch as he plummeted passed, his screams echoing off the walls until they were cut abruptly short with the landing. He could hear voices and the sound of fists exchanging blows as he tried to reach up with his other hand, but his fingers kept slipping. His teeth ground together against the strain of holding his bodyweight up with just those four digits, the pain of the cement cutting his hands and the lactic acid threatening to turn his muscles to mush almost overwhelming his senses. A strained noise escaped through clenched teeth as he fought to hold on, not willing to give up so easily.

But he couldn't control fate. The collecting precipitation won the battle, his fingers slipped, and he was once again met with the brief sensation of weightlessness—when a hand suddenly shot downwards and closed around his wrist. His body jerked with the abrupt halt, eyes flying wide as a sound similar to a choked breath left his throat. Head snapping up, his eyes grew even more in size when he realized who his rescuer was.

Rain stared down at him with fierce eyes. "I gotcha."

Already he could feel her grip on him slipping, her features strained from holding up his weight.

"A little help, Jacob!" she grunted.

To his further disbelief, Jacob appeared at her side, as he fell to his knees beside her and reached down for Eric. Although accepting help from the weakest initiate didn't at all appease him, he knew refusing the help would be a step beyond foolish and resentfully reached up with his other hand. Jacob's hands clasped around his hand and wrist, and together he and Rain hauled him back up to the ledge. Eric used his feet to climb up the wall as they pulled, and before he knew it he was falling to his hands and knees beside them. He struggled to catch his breath, arms shaking slightly under his weight as the lactic acid wore off. Rain had her hand on his back. Her other hand was massaging the arm he had been holding on with to sooth the aching muscles.

"Damn, that was close," Jacob muttered.

Eric looked up at him. He wanted to ask what the hell either of them were doing there—especially Jacob—but he decided against it last second and instead turned his attention towards his four remaining attackers. They lay unconscious on the ground, unmoving, but he could tell they were still alive.

"You okay?"

He looked at Rain fleetingly before averting her eyes and nodded his head after a moment, voice cold. "I'm fine."

"So, who are these guys?" asked Jacob.

Rain stood and walked over to one of them. One by one she pulled their masks off to reveal their faces, and Eric was genuinely surprised to see the largest one wasn't Clyde. The smallest figure, however, took him completely aback.

"_Sarah_?" Jacob exclaimed.

Eric sneered. "Fucking bitch has had it out for me from the start. Blames me for her own weakness." He pushed himself to his feet.

Domino came charging onto the scene soon after, accompanied by four other guards. When he laid eyes on the scene before him, his expression said it all. "What the hell happened?"

Rain turned to face him. "Do me a favor and show these four to their cells, and the one at the bottom of the chasm to the morgue."

He looked down over the ledge before back at her.

"I'll deal with them later." She nodded towards the four unconscious bodies.

With an obedient nod, he and the guards got to work. Jacob stayed behind, and after a moment he gathered the courage to look over at Eric.

"Are you okay?"

"I said I'm fine."

Rain placed her hand on his arm. "Come with me."

"I'm _fine_—"

"Now."

He gritted his teeth but followed her stiffly. She lead him to the infirmary, where she directed him to sit on one of the metal exam tables. He did so with bitter resentment, hardly a willing subject. She rejoined his side with a tray of supplies and wordlessly picked up one of his hands by the wrist, flipping it palm-up. His hands were torn up from the jagged edges of the ledge, and they were bleeding. In all honestly, he hadn't even realized how bad the damage was until she had brought it to his attention.

Using a swab moistened with disinfectant, she began to clean his palms and knuckles. "You are incredibly hard to kill, you know that?" she said offhandedly.

He said nothing, silent.

After a lengthy pause, her eyes shifted up to his in question. "You okay? You're quiet… more-so than usual."

"How many times do I have to say I'm fine?"

"Yeah, you keep saying that."

"Then stop asking."

She stared at him. "Can I ask you something?"

"No."

"Why are you so loyal to Jeanine Matthews? You two got a thing going on or something?"

He gritted his teeth in annoyance. _"No."_

"Then why?"

"The same reasons you're loyal to your people."

She arched a wry eyebrow. "I'm loyal to my people, because they have my back no matter what the situation is. Does Jeanine have your back?"

Silence.

"I hear she's the one that had you appointed as a leader in Dauntless."

He didn't answer.

"It must be nice having someone to give you all that power."

"It's not just about power," he snapped finally.

"Then what?"

"Why is loyalty so hard for everyone to understand around here?"

"Because loyalty is usually earned, and I can't understand why you would ever want to be loyal to someone like Jeanine Matthews," she answered frankly.

"I don't have to explain myself to you."

Another sigh left her, when she paused at a sudden growling sound. Her eyebrows drew together in question, her eyes shifting towards Eric's face to see he was avoiding her gaze solidly. Her expression became knowing, and she turned to face him fully, arms coming up to fold over her breasts in a fractious fashion—much like a mother scolding her child. It was enough to make him bristle.

"When's the last time you ate something?"

"This morning."

She stared. "Let's try that again. When is the last time you ate?"

His silent refusal to answer held firm, looking nothing short of annoyed. She was treating him like a child, and he didn't appreciate it in the slightest.

"Come with me."

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes, jaw tight. _"Where?"_

"To get some food in you."

He looked back forward stubbornly. "I don't need—"

"You need to eat, which you clearly have not been doing—for whatever reason—and if you plan on avoiding being thrown over the chasm for a second time, I suggest you keep your strength up with three full meals a day." She walked towards exit, stopping in the doorway to look over her shoulder at him. _"Now,_ initiate."

His jaw threatened to break as he jumped off the table, forcing himself to keep an impassive front as he followed her stiffly out of the infirmary.

* * *

><p>Eric watched from his perch on a counter as Rain shuffled around the kitchen. The more he cooperated, the sooner he could leave.<p>

"It's your lucky night, Anarchy."

He scoffed. "I was jumped and thrown over a chasm. Not to mention I'm still _here."_

"Yes, but you're alive, and now you get a nice hot meal." She pulled out a few pans and pots. "What're you hungry for?"

"Blood."

"Okay, so a rare steak, extra bloody with a side of mashed potatoes?"

The look he gave her was withering, but she was already walking over to the giant walk-in fridge across the room. She disappeared inside for a few brief moments before reemerging with a slab of meat on a plate. She walked over to a counter near him and slapped the steak down in a pan before venturing to one of the cabinets and pulling out an assortment of spices. He watched impassively as she began sprinkling measured amounts of each spice into a bowl before adding what looked like a sort of liquid dressing, and she stirred the contents together. He stared as she dipped both sides of the steak into the mixture, where she allowed it to sit in the juices while she filled a pot with water and set it on one of the many stoves. Rain walked back to the fridge, this time appearing with two potatoes in her hands. Was she serious? He watched her pull a peeler out from a drawer, and she started to peel away the brown skin.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he began, "I thought you were the one that decides my fate. Nothing more and nothing less."

"I am deciding your fate. I'm deciding to feed you, because you clearly can't get through one meal without starting a brawl and getting your ass handed to you on a silver platter. You've probably lost like five pounds since you got here."

His eyes narrowed at her, but it went unnoticed or ignored. She pulled out a knife and started to chop up the potatoes into cubes.

"You know, if you would just stop starting trouble, your time here would be a lot easier," she said.

"Yeah, people keep telling me that. Am I supposed to just sit there and take it when people challenge me?"

"Backing down from a fight doesn't always show weakness, Anarchy. It can also show maturity."

He rolled his eyes.

Rain scraped the potatoes into the pot of boiling water, and she moved the steak over the burner. "Just out of curiosity, what ignited that first fight between you and Clyde?"

He glanced at her. "He grabbed some of the food off my tray. The bastard had it coming."

"He was testing you, and you gave him exactly what he was looking for. You realize that, right?"

"Again, am I supposed to just let him walk all over me?"

Turning to face him fully, she leaned back against the counter and folded her arms over her chest. "I can see why you fought that fight… but that's not the only one you've participated in. You have a habit of starting trouble with who you consider to be the weaker initiates."

"That's because they are. If anything, they could use a little slapping around."

"They seem to think the same thing about you," she countered.

"Well, then maybe they should try fighting me rather than depending on others to protect them," he replied smoothly.

"Really? You're shit-talking Jacob? He just helped save your life."

"What the hell was he even doing there?"

"He was with me. We were on our way to my office when we heard the commotion, and we ran over." Her eyes met his. "He didn't hesitate in joining the fight. He's stronger than you give him credit for."

He rolled his eyes, and she returned her attention to her cooking. The next fifteen minutes or so were spent in silence. He had managed to drown her out for the most part, absorbing himself in his thoughts. Glancing down, he turned his palms up to stare at the damaged skin. That was going to hurt like a bitch for the next few days. Grimacing, he looked up towards the clock hanging high on the wall. It was almost one in the morning. It looked like another sleepless night was ahead of him.

The sound of something being set down beside him made him blink from his thoughts, and he looked down where Rain had placed a plate holding a delicious-looking steak with a side of mashed potatoes. The smells instantly triggered his brain to the presence of food, and his stomach gave another demanding growl. However, despite the almost overwhelming temptation, he made no move to touch the food.

"Just eat it."

His eyes shifted up towards Rain as she shook her head, and she gave his leg a small pat as she passed by him towards the exit of the kitchen.

"If you don't, it's your own funeral."

He watched her go, the door swinging shut behind her. Once he was sure she was gone, he looked back down at the plate beside him and finally picked it up.

* * *

><p><strong>Next chapter: Eric sees Max at Renaissance. Wait, he's not dead? (le gasp)<strong>


	7. Blind

**jemlou:** A lot of people have been curious of Edward's motive, considering he was a bit unstable and violent in the books. Eventually, it will be explained how he ended up in Renaissance, and what he does for Rain. And happy to hear you're enjoying Eric and Rain's interactions, because I love writing them! Haha

**Lucian:** I feel terrible putting Eric through so much physical and mental abuse, haha, but it was definitely necessary to make defeat look realistic and reasonable. If he had been at his top game, I think he probably would have been able to get out of that situation relatively easily. Also, I am thrilled to know you've recognized my use of Kaz! He's actually based on a friend of mine. He weighs ninety pounds tops, and I've seen him win against plenty of men around Eric's size in tournaments. One of Eric's main lessons in Renaissance is going to be that size doesn't matter.

**Marcus:** Wow, thank you for taking the time to write all those reviews! Greatly appreciated, my friend, and hope to see more of you in the future! Haha, I am going to have a lot of fun with Jacob's character in upcoming chapters. He and Eric will be having more interactions in the near future.

**Vex:** He's lucky to have Rain around, even though he will never admit it. I think part of the reason (aside from his pride) is that he's simply not used to people going out of their way to give him a hand, and he's not sure how to handle this new treatment.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter #7: Blind<strong>

* * *

><p>The day was hot. A blistering heat wave loomed over the city that day like a thick wool blanket, leaving all the men without their top layers, and the woman stripped down to loose training pants and sports bras. Eric had taken to working out despite the dizzying heat, currently occupying the pull-up bars stationed in the mostly vacant workout area set up in the front courtyard. A few of the others including Clyde and Frank were bearing the heat as well. The two initiates were lifting weights a little ways away from him, while a couple others took to sparring with one another. A little ways away, Jacob could be seen sitting with Jessica on the top level of a bench, having opted to stay cool over working up a sweat. Eric ignored them completely, focusing on his own exercises in silence.<p>

Sweat trickled down his neck and torso, emitting soft grunts with each upper heave of his body. The solid muscles in his back flexed, biceps tensing with the strain as he pushed himself through an extra set. Aside from the pit, the courtyards were the liveliest locations in Renaissance, and it provided a distraction from the increasing burn of the lactic acid building up in his muscles. However, he would not push himself to the point of exhaustion this time around. There was no need for a repeat of the chasm.

He let go of the bar and dropped back to his feet for a brief rest. His teeth gritted together with a combination of annoyance and embarrassment as he recalled the event, and, subconsciously, his eyes shifted over towards where Jacob was. To his best guest, he assumed the Erudite hadn't told anyone of the incident; otherwise, he was sure Clyde would have been happily on his ass about it by now. There was no doubt in his mind he would have taken great pleasure in laughing in his expense.

It still didn't settle well with him—any of it. Jacob was one of the last people he would ever expect to lend a hand. Hell, he'd practically made a sport out of nitpicking the guy's every flaw. Then there was Rain. He didn't even have a clue with her. His best guess was that she was keeping him as a bargaining chip to dangle over Jeanine's head. If she was as smart as everyone seemed to claim, she would have tried getting information from him by now. It was obvious she was not in alliance with Erudite, so why should she hold back on interrogation? Of course, he wouldn't question it. It wasn't like he would tell her anything anyway, even if she tortured him. Bottom line, she wasn't his friend. She had said so herself. That made them enemies in his eyes, and enemies only save each other for one reason. Use. She wanted to use him. How she hoped to accomplish such a thing was beyond him, but he wouldn't make it easy. They couldn't break him. They could throw as many punches, insults, and threats as they wanted. He. Would. Not. Break.

With that thought, he was just laying back to start a set of bench presses, when a sudden shout from the guards at the towers snatched his attention. It didn't escape his awareness how they raised their guns in poised guard, or how the entire courtyard seemed to cease one by one to look towards the front gates. Curiosity trapped, he rose to his feet and peered over the sea of heads to get a look at what had everyone so interested.

His entire body froze when his eyes locked on Max standing behind the gates, a group of seemingly unarmed Dauntless rigidly stationed behind him. Multiple Renaissance drew their weapons, others hovering their hands over the holsters at the ready. Over three hundred pairs of glaring eyes were locked directly on the group of traitors, like a cluster of black mambas waiting for the opportunity to strike.

Eric's head turned towards the front doors to Renaissance as Rain came striding out with Domino and a few other leaders at her side. Looking up at the guards, a single wave from her hand had them opening the gates. A tomblike silence had fallen over the courtyard as their leader approached the Dauntless. Max walked through the crowd at a calm gait, eyes almost mockingly composed as he stopped before Rain, hands leisurely clasped behind his back. Rain's eyes held a fierce authority, and, admittedly, Eric wouldn't put it passed her to shoot Max in the head should he give her a good enough reason. Nevertheless, he felt himself smirking darkly in poorly masked triumph.

He watched as their mouths moved in a conversation he couldn't hear, paying extra close attention to each of their expressions. Rain's eyes and face were unwavering, standing before Max as a solid wall of self-assurance. Beside her, Domino towered an easy two heads over Max, his eyes cold and glowering. Rain's lips made a short movement Eric recognized as the word "no" and watched as a flash of suppressed annoyance crossed over Max's features as he argued with her.

"You're going to turn down my offer just to keep him here?"

"That's what I said," said Rain evenly.

"You'd risk the life of one of your own _just_ to spite me?"

"I'd be risking _Eric's_ life sending him back with you."

Max released an incredulous scoff. "Do you hear yourself? You _do_ realize that he wouldn't hesitate to shoot you between the eyes if you handed him a gun, right?"

"We can talk about how much of an asshole Eric is all day if that's what you want. We could also talk about insulting it is for you to pretend like you actually give a shit about his wellbeing."

"And you do?"

"Yes."

Eric was watching them through narrowed eyes. What the hell were they saying? Then all of a sudden, Max was turning away in an evidently provoked huff, appearing more than aggravated. Eric's eyebrows drew together in vague incredulity. Where the hell was he going? Without thinking about it, he was swiftly striding towards the Dauntless leader.

"Max!"

Max stopped in his tracks, head swiveling about in search for the voice. Over on the benches, Jacob winced to himself.

"Oh, this is going to be bad…"

Max's eyes darted around for a brief moment before landing on Eric as he shoved through the crowd towards him. His eyes said it all as he turned to face him fully.

"What did she say to you?" Eric demanded.

Max was looking him up and down, not bothering to hide his bewilderment. "Damn, Eric. You look like shit."

Eric gritted his teeth. "What the hell is going on?"

"Look, I tried." Max met his eyes. "But she's not budging. I tried offering her a deal, but she turned me down."

"What deal?"

"It doesn't matter. She turned me down." Max's eyes shifted around him when he felt the hundreds of eyes drilling through him, as a few Renaissance closed in, hands hovered over their guns. "I gotta go."

"Wait a minute." Grabbing his shoulder, Eric spun him back around. "What the hell do you mean, _you gotta go_? That's it?"

An impatient sigh escaped the other Dauntless. "Eric, in case you haven't noticed, I have the entire Renaissance arsenal aimed at me right now, and their fingers are twitching against the triggers. This is going to have to wait."

Eric's eyes were wide in a state of blatant disbelief as Max turned away once more, accompanied by the other Dauntless. This was not fucking happening.

"Max." His anger flared when the other man kept walking. "Max!"

Enraged, he went to stride through the front gates after him, but he was suddenly yanked back when a hand grabbed him by the arm. He whirled around in rage to be met with Edward's hard gaze.

"Forgetting something?" He pointed down.

Eric paused, blinked, and looked down at the anklet. Right. Grimacing, he turned his head back towards Max as he walked and strode after him, following him along the fence.

"Don't turn your back on me," he snarled.

"Eric." Stopping, Max faced him in slight exasperation. "I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do for you right now. You're just going to have to hold tight."

"_Hold tight_?" Eric's eyes had widened in outraged disbelief. "You've got to be fucking kidding me."

"What do you want me to do? _Demand_ that you be released? You're being held by an army of elite Renaissance, Eric. A faction that everyone against us is supporting. If you want to get out of here, act like an Erudite and be smart about it."

To say he was enraged would have been a drastic understatement, eyes cold with barefaced incredulity. With that, Max turned away once more and got into the truck they had arrived in. For the first few moments after watching the truck drive off, all Eric could to was stare after the vehicle in blatant amazement, eyes slightly widened in a state of bewilderment.

"He's pissed," muttered Frank.

Jacob winced.

Eric made a swift turn back towards Renaissance, glowering treacherously at anyone in his path. He strode back into the building, legs on autopilot as they carried him through the winding halls and walkways until he was at the staircase leading to Rain's office. There, he was intercepted by two large guards that blocked his path.

"Where is she?" he growled. "Get her out here."

One of them scoffed, unmoved. "Or what?"

Eric might have struck him in the jaw if the door had not opened that very moment, revealing Rain as she looked between them with observant eyes. She took one look at Eric before nodding calmly towards the guards.

"Let him through."

They obeyed, stepping aside silently as they glared at him with distasteful eyes. Eric strode through into the office, spinning to face her as she shut the door.

"What did he say to you?" he demanded.

"I saw how well your conversation went," she replied.

"Answer the question."

She sighed faintly. "They tried making a deal with me."

"A deal for what?"

"It doesn't matter. I turned them down."

He glared at her, lips twitching upwards in a sneer.

"You'll be glad I did in the long run," said Rain. "They are not people you want to be mixed with."

"Fucking Christ, you're not my mother!" he shouted. "Spare me. You don't have a goddamn clue."

"I'm afraid it's the other way around."

"You can't keep me here forever."

"Perhaps," she began, "but I'm going to for as long as I can."

His hand swiped across the desk, sending a stack of neatly stacked papers flying to the floor. "I'm not your goddamned pet!"

An unconcerned glance towards the mess of papers was her only reaction to his outburst. "I never considered you as such; nor will I ever."

"What do you think you're going to accomplish by keeping me here other than digging yourself a deeper grave?"

"I've told you why you're here. Despite your own beliefs, I'm trying to help you. You're the one who's insisting on returning to a faction that looks at you like a skilled tool rather than a comrade."

"They came for me, didn't they?" he countered triumphantly. "You all were so sure they wouldn't."

"Oh, Jesus Christ, Eric, you're so blind!" Rain exclaimed finally. "Can you really not see they could care less? Sure, they came, but to say they put up a fight would have been an insulting statement. Basically what happened is I told them to shove it, and they left. They knew there was no point in arguing, so they left. Hell, Max barely spared _you_ a glance when he saw you. You're like the infatuated girlfriend who won't admit her boyfriend is a deceitful asshole."

He was silent, the expression on his face hard to decipher, but only a sightless idiot would be unable to detect the anger bubbling behind the placid mask. She was shaking her head, pity swimming in her green orbs.

"You're setting yourself up for a _serious_ disappointment, hun. Wake up."

Releasing a scoff of pure disdain, he turned his back to her and strode towards the door.

"Eric."

The door was thrown open in deliberate defiance.

"Eric!"

He strode out and descended the stairs. The guards looked after him before back at Rain as she came to stand in the doorway.

"Want us to—"

She waved them down. "No use fueling the fire. Let him cool off."

* * *

><p>Eric stormed through the pit, not exactly sure where he was headed but not all that concerned about where he ended up. If anyone so much as breathed near him at that very moment—<p>

"Pissed Mommy didn't pick you up from daycare, sweetheart?" a voice called.

He stopped dead in his tracks, hands clenching into fists at his sides. Slowly, calmly, he turned to face the owner of the voice.

* * *

><p>Domino strode into the room and shoved through the crowd, pushing anyone aside that stood in his way. He had just been alerted of the brawl by another leader, and he hadn't been all that concerned until it was brought to his attention that Eric was involved. Instantly, he had been on his feet and striding towards the pit where the fight was taking place. Apparently, the clash had been ignited by a discourteous comment aimed at the fact Eric had basically been abandoned by his precious allies, and now he and the offender were beating each other bloody in the middle of the pit. When he finally reached the front of the crowd, he was just in time to see Eric nail his opponent across the face with a hard punch that sent his head snapping to the side.<p>

Eric himself barely had a scratch on him, but his opponent was already sporting a broken nose, black eye, and split lip. Despite his dislike for the Dauntless, Domino remained put. This soldier had brought the fight on himself, and now he had to duke it out—whether the reason be childish or not. As far as he was concerned, they were both idiots, but they weren't children, and if they wanted to fight it out properly he would let them. He would only step in if the situation became life threatening.

Eric's fist collided with his opponent's ribs, his other fist following up to nail him in the head. He watched with satisfaction as the other man crashed to the ground, blood dripping from his lip and nose. He waited for him to get up, but the moment he did he knocked him down again with a brutal hit to the jaw. He was taken off guard when the Renaissance's foot suddenly lashed out, catching him in the leg and swiping it from beneath him. The crowd roared as he crashed to the ground on his back, and within seconds his opponent had straddled him, where he got in a couple good hits to Eric's face.

Face contorting into an enraged snarl, Eric skillfully threw him off him, wasting no time in pinning his foe to the ground in a chokehold as he brought his other fist down repeatedly to his face. His hands constricted around the man's neck the more he struggled, fingers digging into his throat as he gagged and gasped beneath him; crying out as Eric's fist made contact with his broken nose. He tried throwing the vicious Dauntless off him, but to no avail. Finally, he tapped out in a frantic attempt to be released, but Eric did not stop his assault. At seeing this, Domino finally intervened.

"Enough," he commanded sharply.

Eric ignored him completely. His captive's eyes had begun to roll back, but he showed no signs of releasing his hold or ceasing his punches.

"EYEBROW!"

He ignored him still. Domino strode up to him, his hand shooting down and grabbing Eric by the throat. Eric's hands flew to the hands constricting his neck, and Domino threw him backwards to the floor. The man he had been holding captive sucked in a huge gulp of air before bursting into a fit of coughing, blood pouring from his nose and painting his bruised features a bright red. A few fellow Renaissance had stepped forward to assist him, slinging his arms over their shoulders as they hauled him off.

Eric sprung to his feet and raised his arms in guard, eyes deadly and demanding a fight. Domino paused at this show of defiance, but then he was nodding.

"Fine. All right, scumbag."

He shrugged his jacket off two broad shoulders and tossed it aside, neck cracking menacingly. Eric's eyes were on fire—almost to the point where he looked crazed. Domino held up his guard, beckoning him forward with a hand.

"Come on."

Eric held his own for some time, exchanging and dodging blows with the stony-faced second-in-command. He had gotten in a good hit to Domino's stomach that would have left most with the air knocked out of them, but he recovered quickly, responding with a swift upper clip to Eric's chin. He stumbled to the side but managed to catch himself and came back with a speedy combo and swift roundhouse to Domino's face. The crowd was in an uproar, cheering on their second-in-command as he fought the belligerent Dauntless.

Eric tried kicking at Domino's knees, but his foot was blocked as Domino showed surprising speed when he dropped down and swept his leg under Eric's. He tripped but was able to catch himself. However, he had been knocked off balance, and Domino took the opportunity to chop his hand down on the back of his neck.

The blow sent Eric crashing to the ground, chin colliding with the concrete painfully. Next second, Domino's foot was delivering a steel-toed blow to his ribs, causing a shout of pain to tear from Eric's throat. The crowd roared with mocking jeers.

"_It's over!"_

"_Aww, I think he's gonna start crying!"_

Eric forced his eyes open against the throb in his side and looked up to see Rain standing at front of the crowd. Her arms were folded over her chest in a calm manner as she stared down at him, eyes unreadable. Glaring, he ignored the pain in his side and pushed himself up, turning back to face Domino with cold eyes. The crowd cheered, shouting provoking comments to egg them on. The fight resumed, and he managed another punch to Domino's face after ducking a swipe aimed at his head. However, his luck only lasted for a couple minutes before he was crashing to the ground again from a hard kick to the chest.

He went down hard, landing awkwardly on his arm. A simultaneous "oohhh" chorused amongst the crowd. Gritting his teeth, he slowly pushed his body up with his arms despite the pain spiking up the one he had landed on.

"_He's getting up!"_

Once again, he pushed himself up, eyes hard. Domino's face was stone set, and Eric lifted his guard once more. His lip was split open, blood trickling down his chin and creating a trail down his neck, mixing with the bold tattoos like a morose painting. A black eye had already begun forming, but still he did not back down, eyes colder than ice. With a challenging beckoning from Domino's hand, he blitzed forward. Domino was ready for him, using his thrust against him when his fist shot forward. He grabbed Eric's arm, turning and shoving him off course. Spinning around, Eric dodged a blow, but Domino came in following with a swift uppercut. For the third time, Eric was sent sprawling.

The crowd roared.

"_Get up!"_

"_Is that all you got, blondie?"_

His jaw was throbbing, and if he hadn't been able to move it he might have thought it was broken. He felt dizzy, ribs throbbing, and a sharp pain was pulsing through his head. Opening his eyes, he gave his surroundings a quick scan. His vision was blurred, but he was able to make out Domino's figure turning away. He was walking away from him. Glancing to where he had seen Rain standing, he realized her eyes were locked on him, emotionless but not cold. She was not taunting him like the others, her expression calm and collected; focused directly on him. _Dauntless don't give up_. A surge of determination flooded his veins, setting his blood on fire as he clenched his fists and moved his arms beneath him. Gritting his teeth, he found it within him to push his aching body up.

The crowd quieted down when they saw this. Amongst the mass of Renaissance, Edward watched on silently, eyebrows raised. The sudden silence didn't go unnoticed by Domino, and he turned back slowly just as Eric got back to his feet, glaring at him with arctic blue eyes. It was obvious the Dauntless was in pain and dizzy, but his eyes showed no detectable fear or defeat as he glared defiantly at him. His face was bloodied, a dark bruise circling his left eye as crimson trails trickled from a cut on his cheek and his split lip, but it only made him look more menacing. Without a word, he raised his guard, knuckles raw and bleeding.

Domino turned back to face him, eyes darkened. The crowd was silent, glancing between the two men in anticipation. Striding forward, Domino swung at Eric's head, who managed to duck, stepping around him with his fists up. He got a blow in to the larger man's face, causing the crowd to release shocked exclamations. They once again began shouting, encouraging the exciting fight before them. Eric punched him hard in the stomach, and he stumbled slightly, but the air wasn't knocked out of him.

The finishing blow was delivered by Domino, as he drove a meaty fist straight into Eric's gut, and a strangled sound forced its way from his lips as he crumbled to the ground, gagging. A booted foot nailed him in the stomach again, and he gasped for breath as Domino got down and grabbed him in a chokehold. He made a sound similar to a gag and gasp, hands clawing at Domino's.

"Tap out, and I'll let you go," said Domino.

But he didn't. He refused, even as his chest contracted painfully. Domino was pinning him with his knee on his chest, fingers digging into his trachea and cutting off all oxygen.

"Tap out, you son of a bitch."

Still, he refused, even as his vision began to blur; eyes having begun to roll back.

"Enough."

Domino looked up. The command was quiet, but it rendered the whole room silent within seconds.

Eric felt the constricting fingers lift from his throat, and he sucked in a huge gulp of air, gagging and coughing as Domino's weight lifted off him. Coughing, he slowly rolled onto his side, squinting against blurred vision as a pair of legs walked towards him. The crowd could be seen dispersing around him, and a moment later he felt a gentle hand push back on his shoulder. He rolled onto his back, as he felt a pair of hands take his face. Annoyance vaguely surfaced in his mind when one of the hands began tapping his cheek lightly in attempt to urge a response from him.

"Wake up, Anarchy."

His vision cleared enough to make out a female figure above him, and it suddenly struck him that it was Rain. She quirked her eyebrow at him and offering him her hand.

"You done?"

He looked down at her hand, and another cough escaped him. Slowly, he pushed himself up, ignoring her hand in deliberate obstinacy. She watched as he stubbornly pushed himself to his feet, almost falling over in his efforts. She stood as well.

"Follow me." Turning, she walked off at a calm gait. He stared after her for a second before looking down and lifting his hand to wipe at the blood dripping from his chin. Knowing there was no use in refusing her, he resentfully followed after her with a small limp, keeping his head high.

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><p><strong>Rain and Eric have a few talks next chapter. Rain can see Eric's spirit is beginning to dwindle, and she knows at this point he is just a ticking time bomb. Will she be able to knock some sense into him before he gets himself into a situation he can't escape?<strong>


	8. Whiskey

**So first off... HAPPY NEW YEAR! Here's a new chappie for ya. xoxo**

**bankhead56: **haha, Eric HATES that nickname xD Part of the reason I chose "Anarchy" as his nickname was because of what he said to Tris "We train soldiers, not rebels". That is a rich statement coming from him, considering he himself is a rebel with what he is doing with Erudite behind Dauntless' back. Rain purposely nitpicks at his hypocrisy like this, and she will continue to throughout the story.

**Vex:** Eric definitely sees Rain as his enemy, even though she isn't. Not really. Like Clyde, she is only being harsh with him, because she knows he needs it, and she's trying to teach him a harsh lesson. In Eric's eyes, she's using him. He feels like she's dangling him over Jeanine and toying with him for sick pleasure and nothing more. I do believe Max's reaction was a hard hit for Eric. Erudite's efforts to obtain him in Insurgent were weak as well, in my opinion, and now they are barely sparing him a glance again. He is nothing more than a useful tool to them. To some extent, yes, I do believe he is starting to get the gist, but he's blatantly denying it to himself-likely out of a combination of pride and fear. Glad to hear you enjoyed the fight between Domino and Eric. I've been wanting to get that in here for awhile haha.

**Amralime:** Glad to know you like the story! Hope to see more of you.

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><p><strong>Chapter #8: Whiskey<strong>

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><p>He fought to keep the nausea from showing on his face as he followed Rain out of the pit, stomach clenching in protest from the beating it had taken. Walking only made it worse, the more he tried to suppress it the more it intensified. It was as they were venturing into an vacant hall that his body finally overcame him, and the next thing he knew he was heaving over and emptying his stomach of all its contents. He felt Rain grab him quickly as he stumbled, and he immediately shoved her away, grabbing the wall quickly to support himself. His forehead pressed into his arm as he recovered, realizing as he looked down at the mess that he had swallowed a good amount of blood.<p>

A canteen suddenly appeared in his line of vision. He hesitated, glancing up at her. Her face was blank of all emotion, and he finally accepted the canteen, giving it a sniff to confirm it was just water before taking a cautious sip. When he was sure it was just water, he took a good mouthful and swished it in his mouth before spitting it to the floor. Once the nausea had settled in his stomach, he forced himself to stand upright in a more dignified position.

"Come on." Rain continued down the hall.

She lead him over a bridge, and he didn't miss how her hand hovered near his back as they crossed. Almost immediately, memory of having his hand on Christina's back before shoving her over the rail resurfaced in his mind, and he quickly stepped away from her touch, causing her to shoot him a strange look. Then all at once, her eyes grew a glint of understanding.

"Relax, killer. I'd take more pleasure in tying you up for a punching bag."

He looked at her, eyes narrowing.

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><p>He sat silently atop an exam table, glancing up as she walked over to him holding a tray of medical supplies. She placed the tray on table beside him, and he watched as she dipped a swab in some disinfectant before lifting it towards his face. Annoyed, he pushed her hand away.<p>

"I'm fine."

"Slap my hand away again, and I'll break your wrist."

His eyes shifted back to hers. Her eyes held fierce promise that she would go through with the threat should he repeat his actions.

Rain could tell he wanted to challenge her, but in the end he didn't, so she reached for his face once again, tilting his head up as she started dabbing at the cut on his lip. She made quick, clean work of cleaning the blood from his chin and neck before dabbing his bleeding lip with clotting fluid. Next she cleaned the cut on his temple. He remained silent and unflinching even as she stitched it, eyes turned frigidly to the side. His gaze was strangely dulled, but she knew better than to comment on it. Setting the needle and excess threat aside, she held out her hand expectantly, and he looked at her. Realizing what she wanted, he rolled his eyes and gave her his hand. She held it up as she dabbed at his bleeding knuckles.

"You put up one hell of a fight out there," she said offhandedly.

He scoffed. "I lost."

"That was you losing?" Her eyes shifted up to his pointedly. He glanced at her fleetingly before going back to staring coldly across the room.

"I was the one on the floor."

"Domino is one of my best men. He's the second-in-command for a reason."

He looked at her.

"You may have been the one on the floor, but you're one of the only ones who's ever gotten up—multiple times, at that."

His eyes held a strange glint, studying her closely. She just tossed the bloodied swab in the trash, but then locked eyes with him again.

"Don't let it get to your head." She turned away with the tray.

He stared after her. "Have you?"

"Have I what?" She glanced over her shoulder at him.

"Defeated him."

At this question, she fell quiet for a moment. "Yes."

He stared, almost as if he wasn't sure if he should believe her. "How?"

"It doesn't matter." She turned back to him. "And just because I beat him in one fight doesn't mean he couldn't kick my ass if we were to ever fight again. Domino and I are good friends. We were friends before we fought each other, and we remain as such to this day."

The look he was giving her was scrutinizing. "Why?"

"Because holding grudges is for the weak and thickheaded."

His eyes darkened.

"I made him my second in command when I was assigned first officer. He was a good soldier, and I figured we'd be better as a team." Her head turned to him. "A brave acknowledges the strength of others."

"Christ, is that where Four got that from?"

Her lips twitched upwards. "He said that to you?"

"Yes. Goddamn hippy."

The blunt remark earned a chuckle from her.

"So, what, did you two have a thing?"

She snorted, amused. "No. Why? Jealous?"

He scoffed. "Don't flatter yourself."

She smirked. "Too bad. You could have used the workout."

His head snapped up to her, but she was already walking towards the exit of the room, and he didn't miss how she added an extra sway to her hips as she walked.

Bitch.

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><p>He spent the remainder of the afternoon in a secluded part of Renaissance's corridors, having located a quiet spot overlooking the chasm's endless depths. He hadn't seen more than two human beings for hours, allowing him a much needed meditation to clear his rampant thoughts. He stared down into the abyss with darkened, brooding eyes. There was no way his mood could have reached any further beyond its perilous state at that moment.<p>

He thought too soon, for at that moment he heard footsteps crossing the bridge that stretched across the chasm roughly ten feet away. He would have paid them no mind if he hadn't heard them take a turn towards him. Looking up, he saw it was Rain. It took all he had in him not to throw his head back in built-up frustration. What the hell did she want now?

"You're not going to jump, are you?"

Eyes shifting up, he glared at her darkly from under his eyelashes.

She approached him at a calm stride. "Still brooding, I see."

"What do you want?" He was not in the mood for her self-proclaimed wisdom.

"Relax. I'm not here to piss you off." Taking a seat beside him, she offered him a bottle. He took one look at it and realized it was a top brand whiskey. Blinking, he gave her a probing look, and when she quirked her eyebrow at him he finally took it from her. He stared at it a moment before taking a hearty swig. It burned all the way down, but was soon followed by a familiar warmth that he welcomed. Swallowing, he took another swig before lowering the bottle and handing it back to her wordlessly and without looking at her. She accepted it and took a drink for herself.

"You weren't at supper."

"Wasn't hungry."

"Too bad. People are talking, you know. About your fight with Domino."

He said nothing.

"People are impressed you didn't give up. That was a pretty brutal beating."

"Dauntless don't give up."

A laugh left her. "You're clinging to Dauntless as if they've stood beside you. Are you forgetting they were about to shoot you in the head before I came along?" The expression on her face was sobering. "They aren't going out of their way, Eric. Neither is Erudite."

He looked up at the use of his actual name.

"Most of Dauntless want you dead for your betrayal," she added.

He turned his head away again, and she once again offered him the bottle. Resentfully, took it and treated himself to another large mouthful.

"You're Renaissance now. Why that is so hard for you to accept, I don't understand. This place could be a fresh start, but you're willing to throw it away to defend a faction that wants you dead."

Still, he said nothing, jaw tense.

"Dauntless isn't what makes you, Eric. You haven't been reduced to nothing. Stop letting a faction define who you are. _You_ are who decides what you're worth."

Silence. Then finally, he turned his head to look at her. Something wavered in his eyes she hadn't seen before, and she couldn't quite place her finger on it. Wonder, perhaps? His eyes studied her closely for a lengthy minute.

"Why are you here?" he asked at last.

"I decided to make my own fate—"

"I mean why are you here talking to me."

She blinked. "Is there any reason I shouldn't?"

He said nothing. The glint in her eyes was almost maternal in nature.

"I put all of my initiates into consideration. Believe it or not, I know a lot more about all of you than you think. I find talking to them has proven to bring positive results."

"Oh, so you're trying to be my shrink now?"

"No. More like a bottle of whiskey that talks back."

He scoffed. Lifting the bottle, he took another hearty swig and handed it back to her. Taking it from him, she gave his back a firm pat, making him look up at her as she got to her feet.

"Now go get some rest, you vampire."

Turning away, she headed back towards the bridge. Shortly after she was gone, he willed himself to his feet and began a dawdling journey back to the initiate chambers. As he entered more populated areas of the building, he felt some of the peace he had regained burn away as his defensive walls rebuilt to full height. As he was crossing a bridge, he was shoved without warning, and he stumbled sideways into the railing. His hands clamped around the bars on reflex to keep himself from taking what would have been a fatal fall, and he stood straight once more, sending a halfhearted glare over his shoulder, but the offender was already out of sight amongst the snickering crowd. Jaw clenched, he kept walking, and eventually he made it back to the chambers.

Jacob looked up when he saw him approaching, observing silently as he sat down heavily on his cot. The guy looked a step beyond exhausted, and there was no doubt in his mind that his whole body was stiff from the fight. His baby blues shifted across the room when he overheard Jessica muttering under her breath to Frank.

"_I heard he was hanging out on a ledge all afternoon. Think he was planning to jump?"_

Frank grunted, most of his attention focused on the apple he was slicing into with a small pocket knife. _"If I was in the loser's situation, that drop would look mighty tempting to me, too."_

Jacob's gaze swerved back to Eric to see his reaction, but either he hadn't heard them, or he was just passed the point of giving a damn, eyes closed as he leaned back against the wall. The ex-Erudite looked down at the foil-wrapped sandwich in his hands, remembering what the blonde boy that had given it to him said. Confronting the aggressive Dauntless hardly appealed to him at the moment, but he had said he'd do it, and he wasn't one for backing out of his word. Breathing in a calming inhale, he stood from his cot and slowly approached Eric's.

Eric's eyes had opened when he felt a shadow looming over him, slate blue eyes moving up to stare at Jacob in question, and then down to the sandwich as the kid handed it to him.

"Some guy told me to give this to you when I saw you. Said his name was Edward."

Scoffing, he rolled his eyes. Of course. In an unimpressed manner, he reached up and snatched the sandwich from him lazily. When Jacob still hovered, though, his eyes returned to the Erudite in irritation.

"What?" he snapped.

Jacob's eyes fell. "Nothing. Never mind."

Eric watched him walk away, rejoining the other weakest initiate, Tyler, in the corner. A moment later, Jessica had walked over to join them. Jessica was the only female initiate now that Sarah was gone, and even she had shown more strength than the timorous Erudite.

"_You hear about what happened this morning?"_

He paused, head turning back to the trio.

"_Well yeah. The entire Renaissance headquarters has heard about it," _muttered Tyler.

"_Max barely spared him a glance," _Jessica whispered. _"Talk about a slap to the face."_

"_Guys, seriously, he's looking right at us," _Jacob piped in finally, voice hushed and hissed through his teeth.

At hearing this, both Tyler's and Jessica's heads turned towards Eric before averting their eyes just as quickly when they saw his deadly glare. Eric continued to glower at them for another few moments before allowing his attention to fall back to the sandwich in his hands. Part of him wanted to chuck it at Jessica's face, but then decided she wasn't worth his food and took a begrudging bite.

They all thought they were above him? He would show them.

They would all pay.

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><p><strong>Next chapter: Eric has had enough. His actions nearly lead to one of his greatest fears when he pisses off a group of Renaissance. There will be blood.<strong>


	9. Backfire

**Vex:**** I, too, think Eric would be genuinely lost without a faction to be a part of, and it's sad to think about. If he, for whatever reason, found himself factionless, he would be completely alone and without purpose. The other factionless likely wouldn't welcome him into their community because of what he had done while conspiring with Erudite, leaving him to fend for himself. In that way, he is vulnerable.**

**Aika:**** Thank you for the shower of compliments, love! Glad to hear you're enjoying the story (and Eric's nicknames). His personality will be explored even more in future chapters. Hope to hear more from you.**

**bankhead56:**** Rain and Four's connection will be explained soon. She's kind of like the Gandalf to his Bilbo haha. Yes, she has saved his ass quite a few times, and it won't be the last time, either. I believe he is starting to realize she's not just in it to give him a hard time, but he's not willing to accept she wants to help him, either. And the little guy is Jacob, just to clear that up. Frank is the other largest initiate next to Clyde. Frank wouldn't do Eric any favors haha.**

**AvesCallaghan:**** I don't want to give too much away, but I basically post whenever I'm able to finish a chapter. There is no specific schedule that I'm following. Eric's reaction to what happened in this chapter will also be explained in future chapters. Each of his fears will be explored in this story.**

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><p><strong>Chapter #9: Backfire<strong>

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><p>Once again, his body denied him sleep the entire night, as he stared intently up at the ceiling with ominous eyes. It was unknown to him how many hours had passed since there were no windows in the room, but when the other initiates began to stir he figured it was early morning. Well, there was really no use in sitting around for another hour, so, with an unenthusiastic sigh, he slowly sat up. Hands rubbed at his sore eyes in attempt to massage some life into them as the other initiates cleared out in small groups, leaving him by his lonesome. The only one who hung back was Jacob, baby blues flittering to him briefly, but he soon followed after the others when Clyde inquired whether or not he was coming.<p>

Eventually, Eric had made his way to the mess hall; though, eating was one of the last things on his mind. Too pissed off to eat, he merely picked at his food, glaring down at the pile of scrambled eggs morosely. He knew he should eat. Rain was right about one thing; if he kept depriving himself of proper nutrition and rest he was going to pay for it, but he just couldn't bring himself to take a bite. His grip on the fork tightened at the thought of yesterday's fight. It had been humiliating, to say the least. Everyone here thought they were so tough. They would see just how strong they were when he came back with half of Dauntless and Erudite at his heels.

Suddenly, his eyes shifted up at a movement to his left, but his muscles relaxed out of their defensive tension when he was met with a pair of timid blue eyes. Within seconds, his glare had transformed into a look of irritation.

"Before you lunge at me," Jacob began quickly, "I just wanted to say that I agree with Rain... and what she thinks about you."

Eric glared silently. "And that would be?" His tone dared him to answer, as his eyes shifted over towards Clyde's table-only to see he and the rest of the initiates were watching them vigilantly. It wasn't a question in his mind that they had tried talking Jacob out of whatever the hell he was trying to accomplish. It was fucking ridiculous. They were literally coddling the kid's balls.

"She thinks you have the potential to be a good man."

His eyes shifted back up to the ex-Erudite. "What are you, an Erudite or a hippie?"

Jacob shrugged. "Neither."

Eric scoffed. "Right." He lifted his drink.

"I also think you're smarter than you look... or act, for that matter."

Eric's head snapped up to him, but Jacob was already walking back towards the safety of his table. His fist clenched on the tabletop as he watched Clyde clap a hand down on Jacob's back. The entire group was at one table, along with a few other Renaissance members. Unable to stomach the sight, he stood, completely abandoning his food as he stalked out of the room. He didn't have to deal with this. They wouldn't let him leave? Fine. He could play their game. He was putting an end to this bullshit. Today.

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><p>Rain strode through the halls, legs carrying her swiftly towards the source of the alleged commotion. It had just been brought to her attention that someone had supposedly destroyed a good portion of the gymnasium, the punching bags reportedly slashed open with a sharp blade. Domino walked alongside her, face set in a firm frown and causing the scar to contort forebodingly. The moment she shoved through the double doors to the gym, she was greeted with sand-covered floors where the bags had been sliced open. Roughly half a dozen other Renaissance soldiers stood around the room, chattering amongst themselves in hushed murmurs.<p>

"Well. I wonder who did this," droned Domino, voice rich with sarcasm.

Rain's eyes scanned over the damage intently, when someone spoke up from across the room.

"Something's written in the sand."

Looking across the room, she headed over with Domino where the speaker was standing beside one of the ripped open bags. Upon looking own, she read the message with narrowed eyes.

_Consider this a warning. Next time it won't be a bag._

Her eyes said it all, as she exchanged looks with Domino, and by the way he looked at her she knew he was thinking the same thing she was. Turning, she leaned into one of the guards, her voice a hushed, angered whisper.

"Find Eric. Bring his ass to my office. I don't care if you have to bludgeon him over the head to get him there."

* * *

><p>The knife emitted a grating sound as he dragged it along the wall, eyes darkened pools of ice as he stalked through the halls. There was no doubt in his mind they were searching the premises for him, but it didn't worry him in the slightest. What was the worst they could do? Throw him out? Kill him? Death would be a more honorable fate than being kept prisoner by a faction built of strays. Running his thumb over the knife, he slipped it into his pocket and turned down another empty corridor. For whatever reason, he found himself wondering what Four and Tris had been up to with him out of the way. The thought of the possibility they had been killed brought him pleasure, but not as much as he knew it would bring if he himself was the one that would finally end them. It was a hope he still clung to.<p>

His head lifted as a figure stepped out from one of the side halls, clad in all black with a black ski mask covering his face. Eric stopped, locking eyes with the stranger solidly. He instantly sensed their meeting was not by chance, and this theory was proved when two more masked men appeared in the hall in front of him. His eyes shifted behind him as two more closed in from behind, all with masks covering their faces. Instantly, he felt his walls build up to full defense, muscles tensing in preparation for clash.

"You think you're pretty crafty, don't you?"

His eyes shifted towards the speaker.

"You think slashing open a few bags is intimidating? You're warning _us_?" The five men took a step closer around him. "I think it's time we show you exactly who you're dealing with, scumbag."

"You and your little posse don't scare me." Eric eyed him coolly. "If your goal is to intimidate me, you're going to be sadly disappointed."

"Strong talk coming from a guy with twelve fears."

Eric remained straight-faced, seemingly unaffected by the comment. "Strong talk from a coward in a mask."

"At least I'm not a rapist."

He froze. "Rapist?" A scoff left his lips. "Not sure where you heard that one, but it's false. Never had a need to take 'em by force, you know what I'm saying?"

They exchanged unimpressed looks amongst each other at his remark.

"Oh, so you didn't rape Sarah?"

Eric blinked. _What_? "Is that what she's telling you? I raped her, and that's why she tried killing me?" Another scoff left his lips. "Bitch. Tell her not to flatter herself if you ever see her roaming the streets."

They had slowly begun closing in on him.

"Wonder where you learned it from. Your old faction, perhaps?"

Eric's head snapped to the first one, which he presumed was their leader. "You don't know shit about me."

"Oh, hit a nerve, did I?"

Eric slowly raised his guard as they drew closer, eyes dark as they shifted to each of their masked faces. If they came any closer, he would not hold back in killing as many of them as he could. His hands curled into fists, feet shifting beneath him into a rigid guard.

"If you get on your knees and beg for mercy… you might get to live another day."

He glared. "I'll pass."

The leader gave a nonchalant shrug of his broad shoulders.

"Suit yourself."

Then, all at once, they were descending upon him. One of them swung, and as he dodged he shoved him back by the chest. His attacker's back hit the wall, as another managed to slug him across the face with a meaty fist. His head snapped to the side, stumbling as the third stepped in. Twisting his body, he nimbly avoided the blow and came back around with a jab to his opponent's throat, sending him staggering back with a strangled gag. Eric sent his fist hammering into his knee, sending the masked man falling to the ground with a pained shout.

Whipping around, he was faced with a man whose size could challenge Domino's, but he did not hesitate or show apprehension. Running forward, he attempted to tackle him by the middle, but his target was much stockier than he was, digging his heels into the ground to keep from being shoved back by Eric.

Lifting an arm, he brought a brutal elbow down on Eric's spine, earning a cry of pain as he repeated the action again before yanking him up by the scruff of his collar. Before Eric could process what had happened, he was being spun around and pinned back against his attacker in a headlock. He bucked wildly and tried kicking back at his restrainer's knees and legs, but he was blocked every time, and his eyes shifted up as two of the men stepped forward with malicious glints in their eyes. Taking turns, they began to deliver punch after punch into his stomach. He was able to take it at first, tightening his abdominal muscles to absorb the blows, but eventually he needed to take a breath, and a single, _hard_ hit to the relaxed muscles knocked the air clean out of him. As he was gasping, he was thrown to the ground by the man holding him.

"Grab 'im while he's down!"

He felt his arms being grabbed by two people, and he struggled wildly against them, kicking at their knees in attempt to knock them over, but they dodged easily. One kick to his ankles forced him forward, and they forced him roughly against the wall, pinning him with their combined strength and bodyweight. The rough wall scratched his cheek, but he was hardly worried about that at the moment, more concerned with killing the men surrounding him.

All of a sudden, he felt a knife cut through the leather strap of his belt, and his eyes flew wide as the realization of what exactly was going on struck him like a slap to the face. Panic now fused together with rage, with a renewed surge of strength he thrashed against his captors' holds like a rabid bear. No! This was not going to happen. He wouldn't allow it.

"Come on, hold him still!"

"NO!" He thrashed harder, eyes wild with uninhibited rage. "GET THE FUCK OFF ME, YOU FUCKING FAGGOT!"

He felt a sharp edge press up against his groin, and he abruptly froze, eyes snapping down to where one of the men had a knife pressed with the sharpened side poised to cut.

"You might want to watch your mouth."

He went to bite back at him, but his mouth was smothered roughly by a gloved hand.

"This is for all the women you defiled, you son of a bitch."

He roared against the hand smothering his mouth, the feeling of fingers digging cruelly into his hip bones sending sharp spikes of pain through that area. A hand grabbed the waistband of his pants, and his eyes flew wide. No. _This wasn't going to happen_.

Suddenly finding the strength of ten men, he gave a violent thrash of his head, and he bit down hard between the thumb and forefinger of the offending hand covering his mouth. The metallic taste of blood hit his tongue as the owner of the hand released a pained shriek, and he used the distraction to buck back with all his might. Throwing his head back, he head-butted the man groping him, the hands restraining his arms loosening within the same moment as they went to aid there comrade. That was a fatal mistake.

Drawing the knife he had in his pocket, he whirled around and drove it into their leader's stomach. His eyes flew wide beneath his mask, paralyzed with shock as Eric released a furious roar in his face before yanking the knife out.

"BASTARD!"

He whipped around at the voice and punched the man in the face before swiftly bringing the knife across, slitting his throat. Blood spurted bright crimson as he fell to the floor with his hands clasped around his neck, as Eric turned to his next opponent. Two down, three to go. The third went down with a single jab to the heart after he had deflected a poorly aimed punch, and as the fourth came at him, he blitzed forward and tackled him by the middle, sending the both of them crashing to the ground. He quickly sat up, straddling his attacker, and he wasted not a second of time before bringing down the knife repeatedly into the bastard's chest, not flinching even as blood splattered onto his face and clothes. The crazed look in his eyes would have caused any sane man to run. Some may have thought he was overtaken by demonic possession.

Then all at once, a blinding white light was flooding the hallway, and as his arm flew up to shield his eyes from the painful shrinking of his pupils, he heard loud voices booming through the corridor as footsteps thundered towards him. A pained shout abruptly left his lips when a searing hot pain suddenly shot through his chest and shoulder, and he fell back off the now dead man beneath him. At first he thought he had been shot, but when his hand went to feel for blood he realized it was a sting dart.

"GET HIM!"

His head snapped up as rough hands seized him by the arms and hauled him up from his victim, uncaring to the pain still rippling through his body from the dart. The pain was quickly forgotten upon being manhandled, and he gave a mighty heave against his restrainers, but after another dart to his leg he was rendered temporarily immobile and did not resume his attempts to break free, chest heaving as he panted from the struggle. Slate blues lifted as a figure approached him, and he looked up to be met with cold eyes that belonged to Domino.

"You really fucked up this time, Eyebrow."

Eric only glared.

* * *

><p>Rain's head snapped up when her door was all but bashed open, and the next thing she knew Eric was being roughly thrown down to his knees in the middle of the floor, wrists shackled behind his back and preventing him from breaking his fall. She stood quickly, chair sliding back as she strode around her desk to confront the guards that flooded the room behind Domino.<p>

"What the hell is going on?"

"Your charity case just gutted four men," said Domino gruffly, but not insolently.

Her eye widened. "What?"

"And I would have killed the fifth one," stated Eric boldly, "if Scarface, here, hadn't interrupted me."

Rain's eyes shifted down to him. She was unable to react fast enough as Domino's arm lifted, and Eric was sent crashing to the floor after a brutal blow to the head.

"Domino!" Quickly, she inserted herself between the much larger man and Eric, who, despite the hard hit, kept a defiant glare up at Domino. "I want all of you out. Now."

Domino snapped his head down to her in shock. "Rain-"

"_Now_."

Reluctance was bright in his grey eyes as he exchanged looks with the guards behind him, before shifting his gaze back down to Eric with a glare that promised a creative death should he attempt anything in his absence. It was obvious he wanted to voice his apprehension, but in the end he kept his mouth shut and responded with a stiff nod. Turning rigidly, he left the room followed by the guards, and the door shut with a small click behind them. Once they were alone, Rain turned to face Eric as he got to his feet. Her expression was fractious as she pulled out a ring of keys and shoved him by the shoulder so his back was facing her. He stood still as she unlocked his restraints, but he was barely free, however, when her hand suddenly made harsh contact with his cheek, the sound of skin hitting skin echoing through the room.

He snapped his head to her in rage. "What the fuck was that for?"

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" For the first time since he had met her, fiery anger lit up her hazel-green eyes. "If there is a reason you killed those men, I suggest you tell me before I let Domino throw your ass off the chasm."

"I killed them, because they deserved it." His voice was cold. "Simple as that."

She was shaking her head, a mixture of disbelief and amazement painting her features. "You're a fool."

He felt himself bristle as the frustration build up within him. "I didn't ask to be brought here."

"You're acting like a goddamned child."

"No, I'm acting like a Dauntless, because THAT'S WHAT I AM!" he snarled at her. "I didn't ask to be brought here; therefore, you are not the fucking boss of me!"

"Would you have preferred I let Four shoot you in the head?" she snapped.

"Anything would have been better than this place!"

"You're a fool if you really believe that."

At this point, he looked murderous, but she continued anyway.

"Face it. The only reason you're throwing a fit is because you're pissed off you're not the top dog anymore. Here, you're being given the exact same treatment as you gave to your initiates, and you can't deal with it. Well, don't dish it out if you can't take it!"

Within the blink of an eye, he was swinging at her, but she had been prepared for this. She grabbed his wrist, stepping to the side to avoid the blow as she twisted his arm around, pinning it behind him in one fluid maneuver. He stumbled forward when she shoved him, hands grabbing the edge of her desk as he lurched with the abrupt halt. The collision in result knocked over some papers and a couple glass jars, sending them crashing to the floor and shattering with impact. Before either of them could react, the door to the room was suddenly being kicked open, a furious Domino striding in with his gun in hand. Within a split second, he had Eric pinned against the wall with his gun pressed between his eyes to the point where it was making a painful indentation in his skin.

Eric glared right back into his eyes fearlessly, not backing down to the larger man's daunting fury. "Afraid I hurt your precious toy?"

"Not as much as I'm gonna hurt yours." Lifting the gun from his forehead, Domino pressed the nose of the weapon against Eric's groin, this time rendering the Dauntless into a rigid stillness.

"Domino, stand down."

His jaw clenched at the order. "_Rain_-"

"I said _stand down_. He didn't hurt me."

All but fuming, he removed the weapon from its perilous position against Eric's groin.

"Leave us, please," said Rain calmly but firm enough to express there was no room for argument.

There was no doubt in his mind that if it had been anyone else who had given the order, he would have received a bullet between the legs-and maybe another to his foot or leg for good measure. He remained silent as the Renaissance leader made his leave once again. The door had barely shut before Rain was on him again.

"You think I can't see straight through you?" she snapped at him. "I know you're scared shitless. You have been since the day you arrived, and now you're afraid you'll be stuck here forever. You're pissed off and _scared_, and you're taking it out on everyone else like a toddler throwing a tantrum."

He turned back to face her with a cold stare. "Lecture all you want. You're no better than me. You walk around with your nose in the air like you own the goddamn world, expecting everyone to bow down to you because you're so _merciful_ and _fair_. Bullshit. You've been singling me out from the start."

"Yeah, because you're the only one with his head shoved ten miles up his ass! Even Clyde has respect for the others, but you? All you do is knock people down and spit on them like they're not worth shit. You're nothing but a hotheaded jock."

"I'm a Dauntless leader."

"You're a Dauntless dumbass!"

His eyes narrowed venomously. "Call me what you want. At least I don't spread my legs to climb up in the ranks."

She fell silent. Something altered in her eyes; though, he couldn't quite pinpoint exactly what it was, he knew she had not been expecting such a low blow. And it was low, even for him, but he made no move to take back his words. It was a little strange seeing her usually warm eyes reach such a chilled temperature, and then she was stepping up to him.

He looked down as she knelt by his side, frowning in confusion until he felt her tugging his pant leg up to reveal the anklet. He watched, curious, as she inserted a small key, emitting a soft, mechanical click before the two halves split apart, and she lifted it away. Silence wavered through the room as she stood and walked over to her desk, setting the anklet down calmly.

"You want to go? Go. You're not worth the headache."

He quirked an eyebrow at her. "Struck a nerve, did I?"

"You can call me what you want." She faced him. "But I'm not going to continue wasting time on you if you're going to act like a child. I tried helping you, but you don't want to be helped. So go back to Erudite like a good dog and let me know how it treats you. They might take you back, but you'll never have there what you could have had here." Turning away from him, she walked around the polished desk and sat down in the chair, not so much as looking at him. "Get out."

She was letting him go. He could hardly believe it. If anything, he had expected to be executed, or at the very least thrown into a cell, but she was letting him go. Still, he did not move right away. Even if this wasn't a trick, the rest of Renaissance was not aware of her sudden decision to excuse him. Mind reading proved to be one of her talents, however.

"Go. I'll let the guards know to let you through," she said without looking up.

It was good enough for him. Turning away, he reached for the doorknob.

"Oh, and Eric?"

His head turned over his shoulder.

"When you do finally realize how badly you've fucked up, don't even think about coming back here."

The door shut behind him with impudent finality.

* * *

><p>The situation still felt surreal to him as he stepped out the front doors into the courtyard, head turning up to glance at the guards cautiously. It appeared Rain had kept her word, for one of the guards signaled the other at the gate controls, and the next moment the gates were opening just enough to allow him passage. Although he half expected to be shot dead the moment he stepped through, he continued onward without pause, head held high despite the eyes drilling through him. The sun was already beginning to set. If he had any hopes of reaching Erudite before nightfall, he would have to catch the train. Not having the time at hand, he judged by the position of the sun that he would just make it if he hurried.<p>

The second he was safely outside the gates and out of prying eyes' reach, he took off at a full run. Only once did he look back, a flush of success washing through him as he watched Renaissance gradually shrink in the distance. Before long, he had reached the train tracks, which he scaled effortlessly with master skill.

Eyes sliding shut, he took a moment to breathe, inhaling deeply and allowing oxygen to flood his lungs. He was free. He was _free_. Looking over his shoulder, he was able to see Renaissance in the near distance. She had let him go. Why? He had just murdered four of her men, and she was letting him walk free. It didn't make a lick of sense to him, but it didn't matter. What mattered was that he was out, and now he could get back to where he belonged.

He could continue his work.

Eventually, the train arrived, and he boarded like he had hundreds of times before. Now it was only a matter of sitting and waiting. He estimated Erudite was about a half hour to an hour away, and yet he couldn't bring himself to sit down and relax. The blood in his veins was still rushing from being jumped, anger bubbling in his stomach as Rain's words echoed through his head again and again. It still made no sense why he was still alive. Was she really that soft? How someone with such an extreme cold shoulder to death had become first-in-command of an organization of special operatives, he didn't know. It was likely he never would, and he wasn't going to lose any sleep over it.

* * *

><p>Max's head lifted at the sound of voices coming from the main lobby of the compound, which he normally wouldn't have paid much mind to if they hadn't sounded to hastened. He listened as they conversed back and forth, when one of them suddenly grew a bit louder in obvious frustration.<p>

_"Where is he?"_ one of the voices snapped, and his eyebrows rose high on his forehead. That voice.

Seconds later, the door was throwing open, as a stormy-eyed Eric barged through with about two Erudite and three Dauntless on his tail. Max's eyes widened, and he quickly descended the stairs to the bottom floor.

"Eric."

Eric's head snapped up to him. Max approached him calmly, the only thing cracking his stone-faced exterior being the confusion he likely felt at seeing the Dauntless alive and well. His eyes gave him a brief onceover, taking his appearance with a bemused stare.

"What did you do, fight a bear?"

"Close enough. Where's Jeanine?"

Max went to speak, but a female voice spoke over him from above. "Eric?"

Their heads turned up towards the stairs, where Jeanine stood staring down at them with surprised but otherwise impassive eyes.

"They let you go?" she asked.

He nodded. "I can be very persuasive. Let's leave it at that."

Behind him, the Dauntless and Erudite that had followed him exchanged looks, and Max's eyes shifted up to Jeanine. She met his eyes only briefly before returning her gaze to Eric, and a smile graced her lips that looked almost robotic, but it went unnoticed by Eric.

"Well... it's good to see you alive and well. Welcome back, Eric. Have you eaten? You look like you've had a hard day."

"I could use a shower."

She nodded. "Of course." Her eyes shifted behind him to one of the Erudite. "James, would you mind showing Eric to his room? And have someone bring up a hot meal for him." She returned her gaze to Eric. "He's earned it."

The Erudite stepped forward and led Eric from the lobby. The remaining were dismissed, and soon the lobby was completely empty except for Jeanine and Max. When the footsteps had gradually grown silent, signaling they were alone, Jeanine turned to face Max. By the look in his eye, it became clear they were thinking the same thing.

"Anything about this feel a little strange to you?" said Max.

"All of it." She looked towards the doors. "I don't trust Rain. Something is definitely off."

"You think she swayed Eric?"

She shook her head pensively. "No. I do believe he is still one hundred percent loyal to us, but we'll run some tests to make sure."

He nodded. "What kind of tests? Something tells me he wouldn't react too kindly to being put under simulation."

"I'm sure he'll understand with some coaxing. He understands measures must be taken during times as delicate as these. We can't risk anything."

* * *

><p>Eric released a long sigh when he felt the warm water hit his bare back, and he allowed his eyes to slide shut. He still couldn't bring himself to believe he was free. It had happened so fast, it all still felt unreal to him. He still wasn't quite clear on what had happened. What he did know was that he was back where he belonged, and that was all that mattered to him at that moment. Sighing, he leaned forward and rested his forehead against the shower wall, eyes closed as he allowed his muscles to relax. He remained still as a statue under the shower as the water beaded down his body, taking with it the smells and reminders of Renaissance.<p>

After standing under the shower's stream for nearly a whole hour, he stepped out and dried off, discovering that a fresh, clean set of Dauntless clothing had been left for him on the bed. Once dressed, he took at look at himself in the mirror. It had been a couple days since he had actually taken a look at himself, and it caused a scowl to form on his features. He still had a black eye from his fight with Domino. His stomach was splotched with purple bruises as well, and the cuts on his temple and lip were still visible. They would pay for every last mark they had left-every last insult, shove, and humiliation.

He was free.

He had won.

And now they had to deal with him.

The thought managed to lure out the tiniest of smiles onto his lips, and he picked up the glass of scotch that had been left for him, downing it in one hearty swig.

* * *

><p><strong>I wouldn't drink that if I were you, Eric. Stuff goes down next chapter. Let's leave it at that. ;)<strong>

**I've noticed I've gained a few new followers. I'd love to hear your thoughts if you have any comments or questions. Enjoy. xoxo**


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